Morningstar
by hockeygoalie1992
Summary: Harry Morningstar, the pony from afar. Graduate of Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, Doctor of Magic and Quantum Physics. And adopted son of Princess Celestia. Having shied away from the bright lights and power that came with his membership in the Royal Family, Harry chose his studies and isolation rather than political influence.
1. The Colt from Afar

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Harry Potter_ or _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic._**

Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria, Monarch of the Sun, the immortal alicorn who ushered in a golden age for all of Equestria and its allies, and holder of far too many titles and honors which still failed to adequately describe the dedication, honor and fairness with which she ruled and guided her little ponies, sighed heavily.

Trotting through the Canterlot Royal Gardens, taking in the atmosphere of the immaculately trimmed hedges, the patches of rare and beautiful flowers, and wonderful creatures, who shyly poked their little heads out of the trees to observe their visitor, Celestia had known full well that it wouldn't take away the pain. She had known that nothing would distract her from the constant reminder that hung over her head, literally, every night; a reminder of the mistakes she had made nearly one thousand years ago and the consequences that she endured in their wake.

But she had dared to hope that it might dull some of that pain; that something might serve to soothe her aching heart.

"Luna," she whispered as a tear ran down her white-coated cheek. Her hopes had been in vain, just as they had been every night since she had been forced to do the one thing that she regretted, the one thing that she loathed herself for, the one thing that broke her heart more than anything in a millennium sitting on the throne, the singular ruler of Equestria.

Singular. Single. Solo. Undisputed. Each word and many others had been used to describe her reign, but none better than the one she had chosen:

_Alone_.

Hard to believe that a mare such as Princess Celestia could ever think herself alone, right? With so many ardent supporters, both domestic and abroad, with the unanimous love of her little ponies, one might think that, whenever Princess Celestia cantered, she was hardly alone.

But wasn't she? After all, nothing can compare to the bonds of one's own family. Without her sister, Celestia was without that constant companionship that she had cherished for so long. Lords, Ladies, farmers, ponies from all walks of life journeyed to stand before her… But none were the same as Luna.

Without Luna… was there even a point to Celestia? What was the radiance of the Sun without the splendor of the Moon? What was the bright joy of day without the sweet caress of night?

What was Celestia without Luna?

She came to a stop in front of the small pond, just as she always did, and fell back on her haunches, letting her wings droop slightly as the full weight of her crown seemed to drive her into the ground.

_Alone_. No matter how hard she tried to fight the feeling, no matter how much the legion of advisors and dignitaries assured her that the exact opposite was true, no matter how many smiling faces she looked out upon with every day she raised her Sun over the land, Princess Celestia felt alone.

For a time after banishing her sister, the Solar Princess had seemingly distanced herself from relationships; she still loved her ponies, but, as stated, their lives were simply far too short. Without somepony at her side to stay with her and comfort her, Celestia had seen no point in taking a lover.

What was the point of having a special somepony when she knew that she would end up burying that pony and walking on without them, unchanging with each passing day, grieving the memory of yet another dear to her lost? It was a thought that she simply couldn't bear. A thought that created a rather paradoxical problem for her:

Without a special somepony, without a husband, she could never have foals of her own. Again, she truly dreaded the thought of having to bury one of her own offspring, but in private, within her own thoughts, Princess Celestia was jealous of her ponies.

They could hold their loved ones in their hooves for their entire lives, they could live, love and die with the pony they loved, they could watch their foals grow up into wonderful mares and stallions alike, but she couldn't. Ponies could love and adore her for their entire lives.

But she would never be able to hold onto them for _her_ entire life. She wanted so much to have somepony to hold, a foal of her own to raise and love, and yet she was afraid.

In their younger days, Luna referred to it as "The Alicorn Paradox." The Lunar and Solar Princesses had a great capacity for love, but they were so afraid to let their ponies get too close lest they be hurt when that pony's time finally came. They wanted foals of their own more than anything in the world, but they were terrified by the mere thought that someday, inevitably, they would be forced to preside over their funerals.

For centuries, the sisters leaned on one another, each a constant source of love and support as they battled their own inner demons. But, without Luna, without her family, without somepony close to her for a millennium, Princess Celestia felt empty.

She wanted her sister. She wanted a family. She wanted… to be whole again.

Inhaling shakily, Princess Celestia spoke in a barely audible whisper. "I don't want to be alone." Her Royal Guards, always lingering out of sight, just out of earshot, didn't hear her sniffles, nor could they see the tears dripping down her muzzle and onto the grass. "I don't want to be alone anymore!"

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves and reign in her emotions. _It will all be okay_, she assured herself. _It will pass. _

After all, she did still have the testing for prospective students to her school for gifted unicorns coming up for the month or so. Yes. That was always quite lovely to see. Hundreds of happy foals, each eager to prove that they were ready to take a more advanced path in learning magic.

Perhaps she would find another foal with the skill to become her personal student. While it was true, Sunset Shimmer's fall from grace had been painful – quite possibly the most painful thing since being forced to banish Luna – it was almost like she had a foal of her own.

Yes. She dared to imagine, she dared to treasure that time she spent with the young filly, holding it in the same light that a mother would spending time with her foal.

Celestia still held cherished those moments, just as she cherished those she spent with her sister, despite all that had happened since then. They were precious, too precious to let go…

Maybe the fates would smile upon her again and reward her patience with another student, another bright eyed young foal with a mind eager to learn and practice magic. And maybe, at long last, she would feel whole once more.

"Please," she whispered, closing her eyes and focusing with all her heart, wishing just as she used to when she was a filly. "Please."

Lightning arced down from the sky, hitting the ground just a short distance away from the grieving princess, followed shortly by a booming crack of thunder. Blinking rapidly to rid her vision of those pesky light spots, the ageless princess beheld a figure, sitting exactly where the bolt had touched down.

Startled, Princess Celestia leapt to her hooves, wings fanned out and head lowered into a more readied stance; whatever had invaded the Royal Gardens on this night would find that the Princess of the Sun was just as formidable as told in the stories of old.

She was met with a sight that nearly melted her ancient heart.

A foal, a tiny little foal with a chestnut coat, a long, scruffy black tail and mane, with a tiny horn poking out at the center of its head. Its fetlocks were wrapped around its hind legs, its muzzle buried in its knees as it cried and shivered, mumbling something in between sobs.

Princess Celestia lowered her wings, leaning forward and straining her ears to listen.

"Please help me," the frightened colt whimpered. "Please help me!"

Several millennia worth of instincts acquired from reigning over and loving her subjects kicked in, this little foal wasn't a threat. It was nothing more than a young foal crying for help, a young foal who was lost and alone.

Just as she was.

The Solar Princess stepped forward; the soft thuds of her hooves on the ground alerted the little foal to her presence, causing him to look up, revealing a pair of emerald eyes hidden behind black-rimmed glasses gazing up fearfully at her. He froze, seemingly terrified and confused, unsure of what to do until he realized that her focus was entirely directed upon him. Once that realization set in, along with the fact that her towering figure was approaching him, the colt finally moved.

He gave a startled squeak and unclasped his fetlocks, pushing himself back and away from the approaching princess, backing up against the trunk of an old, strong oak tree.

Noting his fear, Celestia ceased her approach and tried a different route. Fixing a kind smile on her face and assuming her most soothing, motherly voice, she leaned forward and lowered her head to look him in the eyes and speak to him on his level. "Don't be afraid, little one," she cooed softly.

In all her years, in her wildest dreams, Celestia never would've anticipated the response her attempts to sooth the colt's nerves garnered. Who could blame her, though? For who could possibly anticipate those emerald eyes, widen in horror, a feat that would've amazed the Solar Princess in any other circumstances, and increased efforts to seemingly meld into the tree trunk and escape the much larger pony. Suddenly, the colt's gaze shifted downward, staring at his own legs in shock and horror.

Celestia didn't understand this; she didn't quite understand why he was now holding his hooves up, jaw working uselessly as he seemed unable to comprehend his own appearance. He went into a full-blown panic! Frantically checking himself over, crying out in growing horror at the sight of his barrel, his hindlegs, his tail! His hooves shot to his head and felt around his elongated equine head, his jaw seemed to drop lower and lower with each detail he took in, finally hitting the ground when his hooves brushed against his horn.

Meanwhile, Celestia's eyes widened in horror and fury at something entirely different, a feature that _definitely_ didn't belong on the body of a foal.

Black and blue, ugly blemishes, of varying shapes and sizes along his forelegs, the edges of additional bruising peeking out from beneath his oversized shirt.

Injuries. Pain. A foal in need of help.

"Guards!" The Princess called sharply, a summons that was answered almost instantaneously, a credit to the unparalleled discipline of the Royal Guard.

"Yes, my Princess!" Two stallions, a unicorn and an earth pony, both with traditional illusions in place, making their coats white and manes royal blue, answered, bending at the knee in reverence of their ruler.

"Alert the Royal Family Physician. This colt has injuries that must be attended to immediately."

"At once, Princess!" Without question, without a backwards glance, the guards galloped off at a brisk pace to see her orders met. Despite the situation, Celestia couldn't help but smile inwardly at their dedication.

_Hmm, Shining Armor and Steel Hoof, I believe. _She thought idly. _Both new recruits, fresh out of the Academy. If I recall, Private Armor has a younger sister enrolling in my school. I wonder…_ _One thing at a time, old girl._

Returning to current matters, Celestia noticed that the colt trying to stand, but falling flat on his face each time, growing more and more upset each time he tried He whimpered incomprehensibly, repeatedly switching his frightened gaze from his own hooves to herself. Finally giving up on standing, he seemed resolved to try and simply edge himself out of sight, pushing himself along the ground with his hindlegs and dragging himself forward with his forelegs. _Oh, dear._

Unused to being regarded with such fear, she frowned. She was just trying to help; typically, speaking soothingly and lowering her wings, clear signs that she wasn't threatening, worked. Instead, this little one was _still_ looking at her as if she were Tirek incarnate.

Well, that just wouldn't do.

Celestia sighed and began channeling magic, her horn light up gold. It might startle him a bit, but she had to prove that she meant him no harm. In her experience, there was really only one thing left to do…

The colt yelped and struggled as his body was enveloped in a golden light and gently lifted into the air, his struggles grew more frantic as he was drawn towards the Princess of the Day.

"Nonononononononono!" Celestia winced at his panicked whimpers. By her mother's wings, what _did_ this fear stem from?

She drew him in close, wrapping her hooves around his small body in a warm, gentle hug. Her wings encircled his small body, tickling him with her soft, downy feathers. He tensed up, clearly expecting some sort of attack.

Celestia made note to find the root of this fear and his injuries so that she might have… words with those responsible.

The colt, still regarding her with apprehension, recoiled as she leaned towards him to nuzzle his cheek tenderly. "Don't be afraid, little one." She whispered gently. "I don't want to hurt you, I want to help."

Even as a young filly, hugs always seemed to help.

He was still so tense, still leaning away from her, not fully accepting her embrace, but one thing had changed: he wasn't fighting. He wasn't whimpering in terror or flailing his limbs. He was frightened, but he was listening. He understood her.

Celestia pulled back to meet his gaze, fixing him with a look of obvious concern. "You are hurt," she began. "You are lost and you are afraid, aren't you?"

It was a seemingly simple question with an equally simple answer, but there was an underlying motive: Celestia hoped that she could get him to admit his need for help, rather than hide from her and in fear that she might use it against him.

She was trying to show him that she was the big pony that he could come to when he couldn't find his parents. She was the big pony that he could trust.

Looking up at her shyly with those big green eyes, rimmed by those black framed glasses, the colt hesitated, considering his options. To Celestia's immense relief, he nodded once.

It was a simple answer to a simple question, but it was a start.

Engulfing the little one in her magic again, she placed him on her back, legs straddling her spine and using her magic to gently nudge his hooves into place around her neck to steady himself. "Hold on tight," she advised. "I don't think a fall on top of your other injuries is something either of us want, little one."

He didn't reply verbally, but Celestia felt him tighten his grip, heeding her word. Good. They were connecting.

If not for quiet of night, save for the soft thuds of her hooves on the soft ground, if not for the Solar Princess' ears being bent towards the youngling, listening intently in case he slipped or his wounds were aggravated by her cantering, she would have missed the near whisper that came from his mouth.

"Harry."

Celestia stopped abruptly, turning her head to regard the little one with a curious eye. What was he trying to say? Hairy what?

"My name," he mumbled shyly, eyes fixed on her ethereal, flowing mane, avoiding her gaze. "My name is Harry Potter."

* * *

To his credit, Doctor Tender Care didn't balk or stutter that this colt was not a member of the Royal Famiy, and, therefore, shouldn't be his problem, as his predecessor might have done. He simply nodded and took a look at his patient. He could clearly see the injuries that his Princess was referring to, the bruises on his forelegs and a rather nasty scar on his forehead – which had only peaked out when little Harry had flinched away, causing his mane to shift just enough to reveal the old, lightning bolt shaped wound.

The scar was an old injury, so that wasn't pressing at the moment. The bruises and cuts, on the other hand…

Based on body of the colt and the fact that its legs were firmly locked around Princess Celestia's neck, seemingly trying to press itself into her coat so that it wouldn't be noticed, he was utterly terrified. Which matched the Guards' account of the events in the Royal Gardens; a foal, which had come from nowhere, descending in a bolt of lightning, and shrunk from the Princess' initial attempts to sooth him.

Princess Celestia's current expression as she gazed upon her passenger, that familiar expression of love and concern that he'd seen so often during his tenure told Tender Care all he needed to know.

Right now, she wanted an immediate assessment of his injuries. Based on their extent, they could decide what course of action to take.

Doctor Tender Care simply shrugged and stepped around the Solar Princess so that he was face-to-face with the colt, who shrunk away as soon as he realized that he wasn't quite as hidden as he thought.

If not for the bruises, the good Doctor might have thought this one of the most adorable sights ever; hay, it was almost like a foal hiding behind its mother's leg.

When he asked for the colt's name, he shyly glanced around the Princess, but remained silent. The ageless mare laughed lightly and lifted the little one into the air in her magic field again, placing him on the examination bed and sidling up next to him when he began to panic at the loss of contact. She nuzzled his messy mane and spoke in his stead. "Harry Potter," she said softly. "His name is Harry Potter."

_Ah. _

The good doctor gave his friendliest smile and stepped forward, inwardly noting how Harry tried to push himself back, as if he were hoping to either blend in with the Princess' immaculate white coat or somehow meld into her body to escape the approaching stranger.

He'd be discussing _that_ little detail with his Princess at a later time. Right now, there was a young colt with a problem. "Harry," he spoke softly as he continued forward, though at a slower pace in hopes that it might help young Harry if he had the chance to see that his intentions weren't harmful. "My name is Tender Care, I'm one of the Royal Physicians – a doctor. The guards told me that you were hurt when Princess Celestia found you, is that right?"

The reaction that followed was, quite possibly, a mix of the most adorable and striking sights he'd ever seen: Harry didn't directly answer him at first, instead, he chose to look to the Princess for reassurance, silently asking her if it were okay to converse with him.

_Just like a colt asking his mother if it were safe to talk to somepony she let in the house._

Princess Celestia simply laughed and nodded, pausing to nuzzle his head again and whisper some comforting words to the frightened young colt. After a rather awkward moment, Harry answered his question with a silent nod, still not fully giving his trust.

Fair enough, Tender Care hadn't exactly made it through Canterlot University's Medical Program by sitting on his plot and hoping for miracles. With Harry's trust issues in mind, it would probably be a good idea to explain to him what was about to happen _before_ casting a spell. For all he knew, the sight of his horn glowing might spook the poor colt.

And judging by how skittish he already was…

Well, the last thing they needed was a game of hide and seek with a lost, frightened foal.

"Harry, I need to cast a spell so I can see what's hurting you," he began, taking extra care that he used simple words, just as he might explain this spell to a classroom of foals. "My horn will light up and you'll feel a bit of a tingle, but that's just the magic touching you and searching for what's wrong. Is that alright with you?"

It would be a bold-faced lie for Tender Care to claim that he didn't feel a sense of relief when his patient nodded, albeit very shyly and hesitantly. With tentative permission granted, Doctor Care's horn lit with a forest green glow, the same as the aura that surrounded his young charge.

This spell, the Injury Callback Spell, was specifically designed for the medical field: the spell served to pick up on broken bones; torn, damaged or poorly functioning organs; broken bones; and even scarred tissue.

It was invasive, certainly, but in this situation, when a foal had visible injuries from an unknown source, it was best to be safe through than sorry.

As the information was relayed, Tender Care was relieved to find that Harry's organs were functioning well. That was a relief. The good doctor nodded, quite happy that his spell didn't show anything that required immediate surgery, no signs of damaged or malfunctioning organs.

Fortunately, the scan was going relatively well. Harry didn't seem to have any scar tissue or broken bones, though that didn't do much to ease his feelings on the surface bruises and signs of malnourishment exhibited in the foal.

The bruises along his fetlocks all had a rather similar pattern and were roughly the same size, suggesting that repeated impacts of similar force had played a part in these injuries. Somepony had regularly struck Harry, resulting in multiple bruises.

It took just about every ounce of professionalism for the good Doctor not to let his temper loose and begin demanding to know what heartless monster would do such a thing to a colt as young and innocent as his patient.

Only a sharp exhale through his snout, drawing a raised brow from his Princess, gave any indication that Tender Care was _quite_ irritated.

Foal abuse was considered utterly barbaric by Equestrian standards.

Tender Care fixed his Princess with a look, one that she had grown familiar with from his examinations of her family over the years; it was one that she immediately associated with news of an unpleasant nature.

_Spectacular_.

Just as a look was all that was needed to tell Princess Celestia that his diagnosis would be unpleasant, a simple nod and glance were enough to tell him that it could wait until after she took care of her charge.

Given that he was quite far from home and alone, Harry really didn't need to hear two ponies discussing the specifics of his injuries. With all the stress and anxiety he'd endured since his arrival, he could do without that.

For now, he needed to know that, despite the unfamiliarity of his surroundings and situation, he wasn't going through it alone.

Celestia giggled at the surprised squeak that Harry let out when he was, once again, lifted into the air and onto her back by her magical field, feeling him wrap his hooves around her neck to steady himself just as he'd done earlier. She stood, trotting lightly toward the door. "Walk with us," she ordered. Tender Care fell into step almost immediately, rather interested to see where exactly his ruler was taking his patient and, well, still waiting to verbally give the summary of his diagnosis.

That being said…

"Ah, Your Majesty? Where–"

"Am I taking him?" Celestia supplied, a teasing smirk playing about her lips. "Well, little Harry has certainly been through, I think he deserves a break from all this seriousness and negativity, wouldn't you agree?"

Well aware of Her Majesty's penchant for mischief and games, Tender Care barely restrained a whinny of protest and nodded. He knew exactly how this would play out: she would do something completely off the wall and somehow, somehow, manage to make everything go _exactly_ how she wanted it.

That being said, he still had to ask. "What exactly did you have in mind, Your Majesty?"

His only answer was the widening of her smirk into a full-blown grin.

* * *

Tender Care's eye twitched as he took in the utter absurdity of the sight before him.

Just as he thought, the grin his Princess had sported hinted at the sheer silliness of her plan, her method of easing Harry's mind and, well, taking care of something that he really should've considered.

Fine! So she had _one_ over him tonight! That still didn't mean this was any less ridiculous!

To be fair, he probably _should_ have seen this coming, given the Princess' penchant for snacks. And, well, it did, in a way, serve the purpose of giving Harry something a bit more positive to focus on.

Still. Did she really have to send for Pony Joe to bring a selection to the Royal Palace?

The middle-aged stallion had been a friend of the Royal Family since the day he first opened his business, just within trotting distance. Their relationship had started when the Princess had, in a rare instance in which her patience had run out, teleported just outside of his diner and stormed in, plopping herself down rather ungraciously in one of the counter top chairs and telling him "I hope you had your coffee this morning, my little pony, because I'm going to be here a while."

Sometime around three in the morning, Joe, in a rare moment of stupidity brought on by exhaustion, finally snapped and informed his Princess that she needed to leave so he could close shop or she could "figure out how to work the fryer and make whatever horseapples" for herself.

It took all of two seconds for that haze of exhaustion to lift and for Joe to have the sudden realization that – yes – he had in fact just told the _Princess of the Sun_ to go take a long trot off a short pier and that it just might possibly, maybe, probably, _definitely_ be openly disrespectful to the most powerful magic user on the planet.

Bar. None.

Pony Joe's panicked, racing thoughts had been cut off by a snort from the typically straight faced Celestia, just before she completely broke down and laughed her flank off in the middle of his diner. It had been his bluntness, his momentary lapse in which he'd forgotten who she was and just treated her like an ordinary pony, for just an instant, which led to Pony Joe's Doughnut Shop becoming a regular hangout for Her Majesty.

Which brings us back to the present. Pony Joe raised his brow at the sight of the little foal. There hadn't been any foals born in the Royal Family in several years, this one was certainly too young. That, in combination with the sight of the bruises on the colt's fetlocks made for an even more confused doughnut shop owner. However, he did exchange glances with both Princess Celestia and Doctor Tender Care, silently demanding an explanation as soon as possible.

But there was one thing about the young newcomer that nopony present could maintain a straight face at: not the Princess, nor Tender Care, not even the young Royal Guard recruits could resist at least a snicker at Harry's initial reaction to seeing the admittedly impressive spread that the baker had brought with him and subsequently hearing Princess Celestia's gentle command that he eat.

If not for their sharp hearing, they likely would've missed his mumbled reply. "C-Can I really eat?" Naturally, this question was met with rather perturbed grimaces from the guards and doctor, something else that Pony Joe would have to ask about. Celestia, however, seemed to hide her sentiments on that question a bit better, instead lowering him to the floor, quickly catching him with a hoof when he stumbled, and nodding to him.

The follow up "But there's no way I can eat all that" nearly reduced Private Shining Armor and Private Steel Hoof to a pair of giggling foals before they realized that they'd just broken protocol and hastily fixed the traditional stone-faced expression of the Royal Guards on their faces.

The Princess' sly grin at their antics hinted that those poor recruits would endure plenty of teasing for that little misstep.

Upon returning her gaze to her young charge, Princess Celestia was forced to bite the inside of her cheek so she wouldn't let out a rather embarrassing "D'aww" at his reaction to the selection laid before him. Harry, meanwhile, was completely awestruck, looking as though he'd never seen so many doughnut varieties in his young life. To him, the plethora of colors, different icings, and sprinkles, even ones that were filled with jams, were, for the most part, completely alien to him.

Leaning closer to the gaping colt's ear, she gave him a bit of whispered advice. "My favorites are the ones with white frosting and sprinkles," she inwardly giggled at the way his head whipped around to stare at her, as if he wondered if he'd heard correctly that the ginormous magical pony princess liked doughnuts with _sprinkles_.

His reaction was, essentially, the exact one she would've expected from any of her subjects who might discover her penchant for sneaking out of her lavish Palace for a late night snack, never mind that it was a "commoner's venue."

Naturally, as she had become his de facto guardian, he took her word and tentatively reached for the recommended treat with a hoof rather than use telekinesis. Celestia shrugged it off as a possible lack of experience in magic, which could be remedied with practice.

However, that didn't explain why he was unable to pick up his selection with his hoof. Harry brought the aforementioned limb back to give it a rather perturbed look before trying again and getting the same results. He growled irritably and tried using both hooves in a pincer like fashion, trying to squeeze the doughnut between his hooves enough so that he could pick it up, but light enough so he wouldn't smash it together. He let out a small "Ha!" when he was finally able to pick it up, sitting back on his haunches and claiming victory over his sugary nemesis, much to the amusement of everypony present.

Harry brought the doughnut closer to his muzzle, pausing to examine it curiously. For a moment, it seemed as though he might reject the offered food, which would put Celestia in a rather tough spot:

A rejection was contrary to her goal of trying to make him more comfortable, showing him through action that he could trust her enough to give a peace offering of food, so that she might be able to convince him to sleep off his stress.

Poor foal looked like he could use a good nap after all that he'd gone through during his brief stay in the Palace

She was brought out of what can only be described as 'maternal strategizing' as Harry, seemingly satisfied by his examination, brought the doughnut to his mouth and took a small, hesitant bite…

His eyes suddenly lit up and he would proceed to – as Celestia would later swear – damn near _inhale_ his food. As soon as he'd polished off the last of his snack, Harry once again directed his emerald eyes on her, trying some form of silent communication.

Approval? Permission for seconds? Wondering why she wasn't eating with him? Again, Celestia wasn't a mind reader – well, not without use of one of a variety of rather invasive spells, which she felt decidedly uncomfortable using on a foal without consent – she could only speculate until he gave some sort of –

Before she could finish the thought, Harry had taken a second doughnut, the same icing and sprinkled kind as the first, and held it out to her.

Ah. Well, that answers that question.

Rather than simply take it and indulge him, Celestia made a show of pretending to look around, eyes darting left and right. "Oh, I'm afraid I can't dear," she said with faux sadness, which was received with a look of confusion from her young charge, who glanced at the doughnut in his hooves as if wondering if he'd grabbed the wrong one. Years of practice prevented her from losing her poker face as she kept the act up. "If I eat too many doughnuts, I get in trouble with the Royal Cook. He says if I eat too many, they'll all go right to my flanks!"

After a moment's pause, Celestia quickly looked over her shoulder before making a show of leaning down to stage whisper to Harry. "But what he doesn't know won't hurt him!" she declared, taking the offered snack in her telekinesis and munching on it happily.

The sensation of cloth brushing against her fetlocks drew her attention downward again, where she noticed that Harry had resumed his previous location at her side, laying down on his stomach and snuggling against her fetlock and closing his eyes with a contented sigh, finally comfortable, finally letting his guard down.

Celestia smiled and knelt down beside him, causing him to open his eyes and look up in confusion as she disturbed his rather comfortable position. She responded by wrapping her fetlock around him and pulling him against her side in a hug, going a bit further by wrapping her wing around him in a gesture that spoke of love and protection.

Harry seemed to accept this, closing his eyes again and breathing easy as he drifted off to sleep in her warm embrace, knowing that he was safe at her side.

His steady breathing and nuzzling against her came as a relief, easing at least some of the tension that had formed in Celestia's chest throughout the course of his arrival. From the signs of injury to his inexplicable panic over his own body, to how he shied from contact to his apparent need for permission to even consider _eating_ in front of other ponies, Harry had been a source of great stress for the Princess of the Day, albeit unintentionally.

Letting out a deep sigh, her attention turned to the two stallions; Tender Care, still waiting to give his diagnosis, and Pony Joe, who was looking quite perturbed at being kept out of the loop.

Funny, she noted with an internal chuckle, how a friendship with a doughnut shop owner seemed to grant that pony some privileges that most would give their tails for.

A nod was all that Tender Care needed. He stepped forward, pausing only to roll his eyes and beckon the Royal Guards and Princess' guest closer so that his patient might continue sleeping. In hushed tones, he gave a very short account. "His internals are, mercifully, in healthy condition, my Princess. However, there are some signs of malnutrition – not so much that he is in immediate danger, but enough for me to advise that he be placed on a strict diet so that his body receives the nutrients and vitamins needed to heal the damage."

The sight of the ever-serene Princess of the Day closing her eyes and drawing in a deep breath, before exhaling sharply made her trusted physician nervous. Princess Celestia wasn't pleased.

It had been years since the last time Tender Care had seen the typically calm and collected ruler of Equestria drop her façade, and it had been quite the sight to behold.

If memory served, that griffon ambassador vacated the Palace so quickly, he would've sworn some form of magic had been involved had he not seen the ambassador blur past him with an expression of sheer terror on his face.

This next part would, no doubt, put his Princess in a similar state of mind. Though her anger just _might_ be quelled only due to the presence of the slumbering colt, clutched tightly in her embrace.

"As for the bruising on his fetlocks," there was no way to sugar coat this part. Steeling his nerves, Tender Care proceeded. "The sizes vary slightly, but they suggest repeated strikes with blunt objects, whether they be weapons or hooves, we would have to ask him. At this point, the only assumption that I can make is that he was the victim of some form of bullying, attack or abuse."

A sharp intake of breath, along with her unoccupied hoof grinding heavily against the tile floor told all that needed to be said about Celestia's sentiments on the matter. Tender Care noticed her immaculate white wing squeeze tighter around the young colt's sleeping form – a sign of the pegasus heritage in the ancient alicorn.

Under her wing, under her protection. Agitating a pegasus when they were in this state was ill advised.

Of course, that didn't stop one of their party, who was _still_ quite out of the loop, from speaking up. "I'm sorry for speaking out of turn, Princess," Joe began. "But for those of us who weren't here when Harry showed up, would somepony mind filling in some blanks? What exactly is going on?"

Celestia, eyes still shut as she reassumed her usual Zen-like aura, answered softly. "I'm not entirely sure of the specifics, Joe." She admitted. "Harry appeared next to me, literally out of nowhere, in a bolt of lightning and was in a state of duress from the moment he arrived. He was utterly terrified of me, of his own body, of his surroundings, everything. And with his injuries…" She trailed off, uneasy to continue along that train of thought. That a pony, a foal, had to endure such pain and duress was greatly troubling.

That Harry had endured such pain and now, after finally succumbing to sleep, was alone in the world. Alone…

Just like she was.

"Not anymore." She whispered, looking down at the sleeping colt fondly. "Neither of us have to be alone anymore."

"E-Excuse me, Princess?"

Celestia turned her gaze to the surrounding ponies and made a choice; one that would forever change Equestria. "I'll look after him."

"But Princess –"

"No," she cut in. "No orphanages, no foster parents, he was utterly terrified when he arrived, he only just started to trust _me_. I will take care of him. From this day forth, he is my son, my little colt."

Celestia returned her attention to the foal in question and smiled, feeling whole again for the first time in centuries. "My little Morningstar."


	2. You're Grounded

Princess Celestia's quick hoofsteps echoed and reverberated off the high arching walls and ceilings of Canterlot Palace as she made her way to her dear son's room. She should've known he would take the news poorly; hay, based on what one of the Palace Staff said when the frazzled mare had interrupted the Day Court, he was in a full-blown argument with Luna.

_Again_.

Make no mistake, she loved her family, she was absolutely overjoyed to have her sister and son together under the same roof, as it rightfully should have been for all these years. But their arguments could grate on her nerves.

It was funny, really, when she thought back on their first meeting. Celestia had to coax two overly shy ponies out of their shells and practically force interaction.

Luna was afraid that Harry would reject her due to her actions as Nightmare Moon, while Harry still had those pesky trust issues; which had plagued his social interactions throughout his life. Evident in the way he held his classmates at her School for Gifted Unicorns at a hoof's length, Harry just didn't know how to let other ponies into his life that easily.

She loved her son dearly, but there were times when his awkwardness around new ponies made her want to pull her mane out!

The combined social awkwardness and guilt of both parties made for a rather awkward first meeting with the Lunar Princess. As many times as Celestia had run through possible scenarios as she marked off the days until her sister's return, she'd at least hoped that one of them would take the first step.

Even if that step was a demand for explanation, really, anything was better than Luna alternating between hanging her head in shame before her family and trying to reach out to embrace her nephew while Harry feebly assured her that he held no grudge, despite the fact that he kept flinching away and rubbing his fetlocks whilst wearing a sheepish, nervous grin.

It was a classic case of Harry's mouth saying one thing while his body language said something entirely different.

Which – predictably – didn't help Luna's confidence.

The two went several weeks before they were _mercifully_ able to hold their first actual conversation together.

Well.

It was actually a shouting match, a rather impressive one, in fact. Oh, Celestia remembered that day quite well.

In hopes of performing an act of kindness, Luna had dropped by Harry's laboratory to invite him to dine with the family as she was still trying to get caught up on what had happened in the time she'd missed during her banishment; it was to be a nice, quiet lunch where the main focus for the younger alicorn could could break the ice with the youngest members of her family and discuss their relationship moving forward.

A move that Celestia had endorsed wholeheartedly.

Naturally, it blew up in their faces.

The actual laboratory itself was pristinely clean and organized, a requirement for anypony in the field, not even considering the fact that Harry's specified area of interest was looked upon by other academics in the same light that the original theory of teleportation was received.

Basically, a room full of blank stares and a resounding "Huh."

Hours later, a rather perturbed Celestia, along with Cadence and Blueblood, came looking for the two, wondering where in the _hay_ they were when they were all supposed to be dining _together_ during one of the few breaks the Solar Princess was able to take, stopped by his laboratory and were met with the sight of several lab assistants and researchers cowering outside while Luna and Harry argued over a topic so mundane, so outrageously silly, that even Celestia's patented poker face gave way as she brought her immaculate hoof to her face:

His desk was a mess.

No, you didn't misread that. Luna took one look at the state of his private office and launched into a lecture on proper decorum and organization for a pony of his stature and proceeded to organize it for him.

Needless to say, Harry – like most ponies – had his own way of organizing his affairs and reacted badly when another pony came and threw it into disarray. Thus, the Royal Canterlot Academy of Science was treated to a lengthy debate that would go down as _Lunar Princess v. Mad Scientist Prince_.

The jury was still out on which of the two won, all that was certain was that everypony within immediate earshot lost.

Oddly enough, it was that argument which had helped them air out some of their issues with one another. An argument over something so trivial as Harry's 'organized clutter' – his words – seemed to lift some of the tension between the two.

From then on, they were at least civil to one another. Harry still took a bit longer to accept Luna enough that he would hug her in the same manner that he did his mother, but they put in the effort. And Luna, having discussed Harry's earlier years with her elder sister, was patient. She allowed him to make the first move in that regard.

Their relationship had improved, but they did still have a tendency to argue on a wide variety of subjects – serious, silly and everything in between.

"CEASE THY STUBBORNNESS AND HEAR REASON, NEPHEW, OR WE SHALL HOLD YOU OVER THE EDGE OF OUR OBSERVATION TOWER BY THINE HOOVES!"

"I might be inclined to listen if you would stop shouting and kindly explain WHERE IN TARTARUS MY STUFF IS!"

Oh, dear, they were _really_ going at it this time.

Perhaps a quiet reminder to Luna that breaking news 'gently' to Harry meant sitting him down and explaining the situation _before_ he discovered it himself and began spitting fire – err, figuratively speaking, that is.

Though, to be fair, he did know a few fire spells that could grant him a similar ability… _Yeah_, now would be a good time to intervene.

Lighting her horn with magic, Celestia opened the door to Harry's bedroom, and beheld a rather familiar sight:

Her son, her beloved little Morningstar, had grown into a fine young stallion. Harry was average height for a unicorn of his age; he wasn't overly muscular, but he was certainly fit, or so Celestia heard. Young mares still gossiped about handsome stallions, and Harry was no exception, even if he kept himself locked in a lab instead of posing in front of a camera.

He kept his black mane medium length and combed back out of his face – more for safety during his experiments than any preference of style. All it took was accidentally lighting his nice, long mane on fire once as a foal before he decided that the punk rock look just didn't work for science. His chestnut coat, formerly scruffy and blemished with bruises during his arrival, was meticulously brushed and clean, giving him a sleek appearance, which accentuated his physique.

But sticking out on his body, like a firework display in the night sky, was his Cutie Mark, the sign of his special talent.

Most ponies, Celestia included, at least glanced at one another's Marks now and then, but her reasons were a bit different than others'.

Starting opposite one another, twin parallel emerald lines travelled straight along the top and bottom of his flank before swirling together and forming the image of what some might call a wormhole.

Scientifically, it was referred to as a dimensional rift – the focal point of Harry's studies.

Celestia knew exactly what his Mark meant, from the moment it appeared on her son's body; she had seen it. She had seen the rift through which her son had travelled, thanks to the aid of the Memory Recall Spell.

Swirling particles, flickering lights, all too fast for the mind to properly process as your entire being was pulled through with a force of a super tornado.

Upon viewing that memory, it was little wonder why Harry was so terrified of his surroundings when he had arrived nearly ten years ago. The bruises indicated that he had endured physical abuse, but his memory of that swirling catechism suggested that he had endured something else entirely…

That he survived with his sanity intact was nothing short of a miracle.

But that swirling rift, a tear in reality, was his special talent, the focal point of his research. It was a credit both to his intelligence and his magical capabilities.

Celestia couldn't help but have mixed feelings on the matter; her little foal had grown up, smart and successful, but he was driven to examine something that should've terrified him.

Hay, it was something that made _Luna and her_, the two most powerful magic users on the planet, uneasy. But it fascinated him enough to decide that he would devote his life to researching it and trying to find a way to travel through it again.

Which directly contributed to the family's understandably averse reaction to the news that he'd managed to blow up his own lab.

Though they couldn't hold a candle to the fury of the Royal Sisters, Cadence and Blublood certainly made their case for the title, with the sibling tag team of Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle coming in at a close third place, if only because Harry's ears were still ringing from two previous lectures. Little Spike hadn't exactly gone into lecturing his older friend, but he did puff smoke through his nostrils whenever Harry tried to provide justification for his actions, which served as a reminder that Spike, despite his upbringing, was very much a dragon and didn't particularly like seeing somepony close to him hurt. Even if said pony had done it to himself.

If anything, that just made it worse for everypony. Harry had been lucky to survive and the first thing he tried to do after waking up from his brief coma and managing to rid himself of the muddled haze that clouded his thoughts was to try to justify it as an experiment and brush it off as a simple miscalculation.

Celestia took a breath at that memory, still feeling her hackles rise whenever the vision of her foal shrugging off his injuries and asking to go back to work on the very thing that had nearly killed him. If not for his quick reflexes and a remarkable barrier casting speed, which had been drilled into him by Captain Shining Armor and herself, Harry very well would have been incinerated by his own experiment.

Desperation and instinct were all that saved her little colt, her little Morningstar. He had been fortunate to survive, let alone wake up several months later in a hospital bed.

Oh, Harry's barrier had done exactly what it was meant to: it protected him from the fire and shrapnel, not the intense heat and kinetic force behind the explosion. Barriers protected the caster from physical objects or magic bolts, but they didn't negate the intangible forces that followed high impacts.

The outward propulsive forces of the explosion had broken most of the bones in his body, the heat had left him with burns on one side of his body – Harry was fortunate that the doctors were able to treat his marred skin and heal his burns enough that his coat was able to grow back properly. His internal injuries, on the other hoof, took much longer to heal and left him immobile for the majority of his stay.

He'd missed quite a lot during his stay in Royal Canterlot Hospital; the return of Discord, his cousin's wedding and the failed Changeling invasion, the return of the Crystal Empire, the second return of Discord and subsequent reformation at the hands of a certain shy, animal caretaker in Ponyville. His life had literally been spent waiting for the doctors to clear him to begin rehabilitation and then enduring an exercise regiment prescribed to help him regain motor functions after being bedridden for the better part of a year.

Watching Harry's six-month struggle to meet his physician's goals so that he might resume his normal lifestyle had been painful, both as a mother and as a teacher. One of her prized students had injured himself with the tools and knowledge she had given him. Add in the fact that the student in question was her son…

The very same son who was currently muzzle-to-muzzle with her sister, both looking as though they were about to start casting spells.

_Both of their Cutie Marks should've been for their unparalleled antagonism_. Sighing and shaking her head, Celestia channeled magic into her horn and caught the dynamic duo in her telekinesis. "I think that's quite enough, you two."

While Luna rolled her eyes and simply channeled magic, cancelling out her sister's spell, Harry yelped in protest, shooting his mother a look as he was forcibly dragged a short distance against his will. He considered, for just a second, the possibility of trying his hoof at canceling out his mother's magic, before giving an inward scoff.

Yeah, that wasn't happening. He'd tried that once before when he was younger, when she had caught him sneaking into the kitchens to 'liberate' a rather lonely looking slice of cake and had been instead lifted up telekinetically and given a light scolding. When his mother noticed that he was trying to force her magic to dissipate, she chuckled in amusement and tickled him senseless for his troubles.

Trying to overpower Princess Celestia's magic was like trying to evaporate the waters of Equuis with a blow dryer. He later found that the same was true for his Aunt Luna and a certain _nuisance_ who popped in and out whenever he pleased.

So, he waited until his mother cancelled he own spell like a good little foal, still seething at the state of his room. What state is that, you ask?

Empty. His dresser, his desk, his various clothes, pictures of his family and longtime friend, his bookshelf, his papers, his research notes, _everything_. Gone.

It was no secret that he'd landed himself in serious trouble when he blew up his lab. In his opinion, everypony was overreacting quite a bit; really, he was trying to open up a rift in spacetime, what did they expect? It wasn't exactly a safe field of study.

Three lectures and a ticked off baby dragon suggested that most ponies objected to his opinion.

The year of taking up residency in the bloody hospital and going through rehab hadn't exactly been fun either, but he couldn't really debate that too much when he couldn't even walk properly when he first awoke from his lengthy nap. As much as he hated it, as much as he wanted to get back to work and buck the consequences, he'd been good. He endured it all and followed Doctor Tender Care's orders – not like he had much of a choice – like a good, little colt.

So, why in the name of his mother's crown did his family see fit to have his lab access rescinded, his office locked, and room cleared out?

Something was amiss, and Harry was going to get to the bottom of this, one way or another.

He briefly met his Aunt's eyes again, noting that she too was still looking put out, and gritted his teeth. He loved Luna, it took a bit for him to warm up to her, but he loved her all the same. She was understandably out of touch and still retained her habit of slipping into old Equish when she was angered, but she was just as loving and compassionate as his mother.

However, she was just as stubborn as mother's bedtime stories; if Luna firmly believed in something, she held onto it and would face down Cerberus with her wings bound and her horn cracked. Additionally, she'd not quite learned the finer points of tact.

Why should she filter herself? She thought it was right, so she spoke her mind. In that vein, she clearly believed that their was justification for his room being cleared out and his belongings taken out of the palace, so why should she break the news gently and explain it to him so that he could discuss, debate or come to terms with it himself?

Hearing his mother clear her throat, Harry abruptly ceased glaring at his Aunt – who stuck her tongue out at him in a manner that would have most nobles mortified, as soon as his eyes left her – and forced himself to give his mother a rather strained smile. "Yes, mum?"

"Would you mind explaining why a Palace Guardspony had to come and tell me that you and Luna were at each other's throats again, Harry?" Celestia asked in her traditional gentle tone.

Harry gave his mother a flat look, his brows forming a nearly straight line across his forehead. Seriously? She was going to play the 'pretend not to know so Harry has to explain himself rationally' game? Again?

The fact that his mother wasn't omnipotent was irrelevant; she knew quite well why he was angry! Gesturing wildly around the room with his hoof, Harry, straining not to be snippy, gave his answer. "This!" He ground out through gritted teeth. "I was good! I stayed in the hospital, I rehabbed, I stayed away from my lab, obeying you and Aunt Luna," Harry couldn't resist a sidelong glare at his Aunt, who simply rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath as she stepped past him to stand beside her sister. "I did everything you told me to do, and, when I'm finally released, I find that I'm barred from my lab and office and everything in my room has been cleared out!"

"If thou would have listened when we spoke, nephew –"

"If you can call it 'speaking.'"

His comment garnered stern looks from both Princesses, and a huff from the very Aunt he had interrupted. "We told thee previously: We – err, rather – your mother and I conversed and felt that a change was necessary to prevent a repeat of your accident as well as alter thy – confound it! – your outlook."

Harry groaned and massaged his forehead with a hoof. "This _again_?" He asked irritably. "I get it! You already told me that risking my own health was –"

"Unacceptable and that I would tan your flank if you ever suggested such nonsense again." His mother finished with a tired smile. "Yes, this again, dear; you forget just how well I know you, lecturing as you lay in bed with no choice but to agree with me has hardly ever proven successful, my little Morningstar."

He felt his cheeks coloring at the mention of that nickname, the very one she'd given him nearly a decade ago. To this day, she still called him by that name.

"_Mum_!"

"Oh, hush, Harry! No matter how big or how old you may be you'll always be my little Morningstar!" She teased, grinning at the way he sheepishly rubbed his hoof against his fetlock, that old nervous habit of his.

Everypony close to him, even a couple Guards when they were off duty, just loved to remind him of it. 'Harry, the little Morningstar', 'Harry the Morningstar', 'Our Morningstar', the list went on. He'd pretty much heard them all. He wasn't really bothered that she came up with the name, he wasn't even bothered by the fact that she, and the rest of his family, still called him by the name from time to time.

He just wished it hadn't somehow slipped out to the public! It was just supposed to be between his mother, a few friends, family and him!

Well, frankly, it brought him back to that time; the first time Celestia held him in her wings and kept him safe. It was special, in that way. It made him feel like a colt again. And that was all he really wanted it to be, not spread around by the gossip crowd until it got tacked on at the end of his name by everypony and their grandmother!

Hay, it had become a part of his title, most had tacked it onto his name as if it were his second name, referring to him as 'Prince Morningstar' – because, evidently, it sounded more regal than 'Prince Harry'. It had gotten to the point where most ponies were surprised to find that his name wasn't Morningstar!

Naturally, his family thought this was utterly hilarious, while Harry just flushed and grumbled whenever it came up, especially when mother used it on him when he was angry.

Luna's snickers at the way his cheeks colored didn't exactly help matters.

Huffing, Harry abruptly changed the subject before she kept going, otherwise, he'd be forced to endure a trip down memory lane. "_Muuuum_!" He groaned – Definitely not whining, not one bit. "Can we _please_ get back to the topic at hoof? Where in – Why – What –" His frustrations with his long rehab, recent discoveries and his mother's constant teasing finally came to a head, bringing him to the point where calm and rational discussion went out the window. "Just _what_?" He blurted, giving up any notion of downplaying his irritation.

His mother sighed heavily, putting him on edge. That was never a good sign. Sighing meant she was getting ready to deliver bad news, sighing meant that she knew he would argue.

Sighing meant that he only knew part of what was making him angry and that the bad news hadn't yet been delivered.

Oh, bloody ponyfeathers.

"You, young stallion, despite what you may believe, haven't learned what I'd hoped your rehabilitation would show you." Sure enough, Celestia began in that tone that he loathed hearing with every fiber of his being; that tone she used whenever she was upset with him, a voice of disappointment. Gritting his teeth, Harry prepared to cut her off and voice his denial, but her stern gaze silenced him. "No. You have not taken your injuries or your accident with the gravity and seriousness that you should have, I can see it plainly on your face. I could see it each and every time I spoke with you on the matter. Even Doctor Tender Care noted that, despite your physical recovery and cooperation, you continually show that you will resume the same high-risk pattern with your studies. I have tolerated them, as part of the nature of your field, long enough. I draw the line at blowing up your lab, I draw the line at nearly killing yourself, but, above all else, I draw the line at scoffing and suggesting that it was simply 'a fluke!'"

Harry winced. Okay, not just disappointment. "Mum," he began shakily, feeling like smaller than an ant on the receiving end of his mother's gaze. "I-I didn't – It wasn't – I –"

"It was an accident. Yes. I understand. Accidents can and, unfortunately, do happen, especially in an experimental field such as yours." She sighed, conceding the point that danger was a part of his job, no matter how much she despised it. But this was a point that needed to be made. Her son had to understand. "But that does not excuse your disregard for your own safety or how your loss would impact those around you!"

He wanted to refute the point, he wanted to vehemently deny that he was putting himself in danger due to some lack of proper safety and that he didn't seem to care that the few close to him would be hurt if anything happened to him – but he couldn't. He couldn't make those claims; he couldn't deny them because his family and friends were hurt.

Far be it from Harry to believe that he was an expert on reading other ponies, but it didn't take a genius to see the outright indignation and stress his accident had caused, along with the underlying relief that he'd miraculously avoided doing himself permanent injury.

The image of Twilight Sparkle, his fellow student under his mother, screaming at him through hot, angry tears as her older brother tried to multitask soothing her and lecturing the young Prince as if he were a new recruit who showed up to basic in his street clothes, came to mind.

There were very few ponies that Harry considered close enough to call his friends; in all honesty, he could probably count them with his hooves. Twilight, Shining Armor, Spike, and, well, just his family after them.

But such a small inner circle didn't ease his guilt on the matter. Harry shuffled a hoof against the carpeted floor, trying to swallow the lump in his throat and maintain a hold on his emotions.

He opened his mouth, trying to find the words to respond to his mother's tirade, but all that came out was a choked breath, squeaking in the back of his throat.

Mercifully, his mother took the cue; he'd been browbeaten with variations of this lecture for the better part of the year, but only now, upon returning to find his world turned on its end, was the weight of his own actions falling upon his back.

Harry wasn't spoiled in the conventional sense. Yes, he lived in a rather lavish palace and, admittedly, enjoyed it, but it wasn't so much the notion that he would have to live like a normal pony that bothered him – he didn't much act like a traditional Prince, anyway.

Rather, it was the feeling that he was being kicked out. Here, Celestia had erred in asking her ever-obstinate sister to explain things to her equally stubborn son. They loved one another dearly, but clashed over the silliest of things.

Leaning over to her sister, Celestia murmured a request to speak with her son alone, which was readily accepted by the Princess of the Night, who replied by giving her sister a nod of acquiesce.

However, before leaving, Luna approached her nephew with an uneasy look, further evidence that a level of awkwardness between the pair still remained, and nuzzled his cheek. "Be at ease, nephew," she whispered. "Our actions are taken out of love, not out of anger, despite what you may believe." Her piece said, Luna left the mother and son pair to discuss his immediate future in private, giving a curt nod to the Royal Guards standing at post just outside as she trotted past.

Celestia crossed the room to stand with her son, lifting his chin with a hoof, forcing him to look into her magenta eyes. The look of worry in those ancient eyes, added to the disappointment and anger at his dismissal of the dangers he inflicted upon himself, made Harry's own burn with the sting of tears; of all the ponies to hurt, she was the last that he'd ever want to.

And why wouldn't she be? She was his mother, his protector, the pony who gave him a home.

"I'm sorry," he choked out, burying his face in her chest. "I just – I –"

"I know, Harry." She interrupted as she repositioned him into a one hoofed hug, wrapping a wing around him as well as an extra show of comfort. "I know you don't mean it, my son, but I worry for you. I worry that you lock yourself into that lab of yours, in your own little world, for so long that you forget the world around you. I worry that you forget just how much you as a pony, not just as a scientist, mean to those around you."

"I do not lock myself away!" He huffed into her coat, making his mother roll her eyes at his petulance.

No matter how brilliant he may be, Harry could still be immature in some ways. "Is that so?" she asked, despite already knowing the answer to her next question. "Then, tell me, when was the last time you left your lab to have fun with your friends? Other than when I've had to drag you out, kicking and cursing?" His muffled grumbling, no doubt denying her question's veracity, only served to make her chuckle. She could always tell when he'd conceded an argument; he grumbled rather than make clear statements.

Giving a nudge with her wing, she once again was able to bring her son's head up, though he seemed to be glancing sidelong away from her out of embarrassment. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. You keep to yourself so much, Cadence and I had to force you to meet Twilight all those years ago, even with Shining Armor swearing upon his family name that she was a nice little filly. But, even since then, you still keep yourself tucked away, holding everypony else at hoof's length – and I firmly believe that's part of your problem," That got Harry's attention, as his gaze snapped back to her and he made to object, but she simply raised a hoof to silence him. "The more you isolate yourself, the less you see how caring other ponies can be, Harry; for that reason, Luna and I have decided on something that we hope will help you in the long run."

Now he was very intrigued. "So, this issue you've pointed out is connected with… well, everything today?"

"To put it simply, yes. Everything we've discussed has factored into what you, unfortunately, stumbled across before I could explain myself and give you the rundown, so to speak."

"That would've been nice," Harry admitted bitterly. "Aunt Luna still slips into that Royal Canterlot Voice. Not really helpful in an argument."

"And thus why I discarded its use in the Day Court centuries ago." Celestia noted absentmindedly. "But, that's a tale for another day. You've asked for me to explain my actions, and I shall." With an internal sigh, she began. "I've spoken with the rest of the family – including our in laws from your cousin's marriage – about an idea that might help you down the road. A bit of mental rehabilitation, if you will."

The young stallion groaned, pushing out of her embrace and covering his eyes with his hoof. "You've got to be joking! I just finished a full year of that load of ponyfeathers – just as I promised I would! – and now you're adding more on top of it?!"

"You went through a year of physical rehabilitation, Harry," she reminded him. "You've not set hoof in a lab setting since your accident and the discussions between you and various members of our family or psychiatrists has cast some negative light on the notion of your immediate return to work!"

"Well, if you'd let me in my lab and watched, maybe you'd see that I'm just fine!"

This time, it was Celestia's turn to give a flat look at her son, who quickly looked away from her time-tested 'who do you think you're kidding' look. She wasn't going to even dignify his outburst with a response; because, frankly, even he knew it was embarrassingly stupid.

Good thing Twilight wasn't present to hear _that_ little intellectual nugget, or she'd have him strapped down while she did brain scans on him.

Or she'd just stare at him until he gave in and admitted that he was wrong, much like his mother was doing right this moment – she'd picked up way too much of their mutual teacher's mannerisms. Either way, it wouldn't be pleasant.

Bringing his hoof to his face, something he'd done far too often today, Harry grumbled. "Just… go on. You were saying?"

Letting out a deep sigh, Celestia did her very best not to berate her son and pressed on. "I feel that you need to interact with others, to get away from work and the political snake nest of Canterlot's nobility so you can feel free to be yourself without worrying that you're being exploited because of your influence. Even if you don't use it often." She added the last part, seeing him ready to mention that he very rarely played the Royal Family card, preferring to devote his time to studying rather than influence Equestrian politics.

That was Blueblood's 'shtick,' as Harry liked to say.

Of course, that still didn't solve the problem of other ponies trying to cozy up to Harry in an attempt to get an inside track to his mother's good side, a fact that the young Prince was well aware of. It wasn't like she could have him stay in Manehattan, Baltimare, Neigh Orleans or Las Pegasus. And Maker forbid that she send him to Cloudsdale, as she had for summer vacation a few years back.

The Wonderbolts had been way too eager to serve the more military purpose of their team, hovering about and watching over him like he was a foal of their flock, especially then Lieutenant and current team Captain, Spitfire.

_Definitely not Cloudsdale_, he thought with a shudder, recalling the way she'd grilled him for slipping his 'security detail' one afternoon. Still, it had been worth it – he did get to see the sudden appearance of the most amazing rainbow burst over the cloud city, more than making up for having to sit in the office with either Spitfire or Soarin while they filed paperwork.

Returning to the point, as far as he knew, there weren't many cities that fit the rather tall order his mother was setting – each of them had their social climbers and wealthy business ponies who would all too happily use any friendship with him to have a couple laws passed in their favor.

Not something he was looking forward to.

"Where?" Harry asked, resigning himself to trying to force a smile through the ordeal. If he could do that, he just might be able to get her to make one or two concessions in his favor.

"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out already," his mother teased, as she was so fond of doing. "She's the only pony you know well enough for me to trust her with your things."

"_You did what_?!" He nearly screamed, horrified that somepony else was _touching his stuff_!

"Well, how else do you expect her to have it all moved into your house?" She asked in that faux innocent tone of hers.

"I don't have a house!"

"You didn't." She corrected, bopping him lightly on the snout. "You forget that I can still have a home built and put under your ownership. Power of the Royal Family, and all that rot."

"A recurring theme, I've noticed." He sniped, gritting his teeth. Seriously, she was dropping several rather big pieces of news on him all at once. "And who, pray tell, will I be yelling at should I find my things damaged?"

Here, Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Harry, do you really think so little of my plans? Would I give your belongings to anypony you didn't trust fully?"

Thinking for a moment, he conceded that she did have a point, confirming it with a shrug and a nod.

"Thank you. Besides, I'd advise against yelling at Twilight about anything, given your – ahem – recent track record, dear."

_Twilight_? _Twilight Sparkle_? Well, _that_ was welcome news!

Despite her less than enthusiastic response to his accident – which, in hindsight, he understood entirely – he did miss his old friend and 'study buddy,' as she proudly declared him one day. He'd not been by to visit her since her move to Ponyville, which was that small town on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, if he remembered correctly. Yes, Ponyville was the town, the one started by the Apple family.

Heh. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. He could catch up with Twilight and Spike and actually enjoy some quality time with them, rather than pasting a grin on his face and pretending to like some random pony that his mother stuck him with.

Plus, Twilight was a notorious bibliophile. Oh, he was just as much a bookworm as her, but think of this from his perspective: he could, with a bit of finessing, continue his studies! Even better, he could do it with Twilight Sparkle!

Two students of Celestia studying dimensional rifts? Bring on the mysteries of the universe.

Unfortunately – or fortunately, depending on your view – his mother was quite a few steps ahead of him, as she so often was. Reaching out quickly, she bopped his snout again. "Stop those machinations," she chided. "You're not going to convince Twilight to study rifts with you."

"Oh, come on," he said with a roll of his eyes. "Who better than to keep me in line?"

"I'd normally agree, but you're not bringing work with you – something that Twilight and I agree on."

That gave Harry pause. Twilight not wanting to study something? Something wasn't right here. "What?"

"It falls along a couple of the conditions of your little 'rehabilitation,'" she continued. "Which fits nicely with the reason that you couldn't access your lab or office: simply put, you're not allowed to."

"What?" He repeated, his voice betraying his disbelief. What in the hay was going on?

"You heard correctly. You will be staying in Ponyville, you will make an attempt to have a life, but you will be barred from continuing your research – "

"_What_?"

" – Until I am satisfied that you have learned your lesson." She carried on, ignoring his interruption. "Quite frankly, dear, I am thrilled beyond belief that you've recovered physically, but I'm still very disappointed in your carelessness. When originally discussing this, Cadence felt that we should present it to you as further rehabilitation, in hopes that you might be more willing to take part. I, however, have no issue with calling it exactly as it is."

Harry couldn't believe it. Barred from his work 'until he learned his lesson'? This was sounding a lot less like rehabilitation and a lot more like… no way. He was an adult, for Maker's sake!

"You, young stallion, are grounded."

"… _What_?!"

* * *

In a small town on the edge of the Everfree Forest, just a short train ride from the capitol city, Twilight Sparkle, student of Princess Celestia and Doctor of Magic and Thaumatology, was carefully putting the finishing touches on what would soon be the avenue of the demise of her longtime friend, Harry.

She knew all of his weaknesses, everything that could be used against him to bring him to his knees in despair and force him to repent for his actions, rendering him –

"Hey, Twilight!" Pinkie chirped, bouncing up to the librarian as she checked off another box on her list. "Do you think Prince Morningstar likes punch? I mean, I don't know anypony who doesn't like punch, but he's a Prince so I can't have punch at his party if he doesn't like punch! Because if there's punch at the party and he doesn't like it, then he might drink the punch that he doesn't like by accident and get really mad and –"

Quickly covering her rather hyperactive friend's mouth with a hoof, Twilight smiled at her antics, having accustomed herself to Pinkie's patented brand of silliness over the years. "I'm sure he likes punch, Pinkie. Just put it on the table with the rest of the drinks."

"Okie-dokie-lokie!" The pink party planner replied, cartwheeling off to Celestia-knows-where to spread her silliness in her wake.

With a shake of her head, Twilight checked off another box as she surveyed the decorations in Ponyville's Town Hall. Everything was coming together quite nicely!

When Princess Celestia sent notice that her son would be coming to town, Twilight had been unceremoniously dragged from Golden Oaks Library and placed in charge of preparations for his welcoming party.

Initially, she had some reservations; Harry wasn't exactly a fan of big parties, after all. It wasn't the celebration or the noise, he was just more comfortable with smaller groups – which wasn't helped much by his station.

Her ever-faithful, number one assistant, Spike had helpfully reminded her that the whole purpose of bringing Harry to Ponyville was to force him out of his lab and make some friends, much as Princess Celestia had done for her three years ago. Therefore, they should just go ahead and let everypony welcome him in their traditional manner and get it over with, like pulling off a bandaid.

As she took in the scene before her, Twilight had to admit that Ponyville had really gone all out for this party, just as they had when Princess Celestia made an official visit with Philomena.

The Apple and Cake families had gone into a baking frenzy, tag teaming to produce incredible fritters, pies, cakes and the like, nothing short of the best possible work for the visiting Royal; Fluttershy had, at first, gone into a nervous panic that she had to train her birds, only to relax (in her terms) when she was informed that all that was required of her was to help hang the banner and streamers; Pinkie had, naturally, become what could only be described as a party planning cyclone as she whirred, bounced and skipped from place to place, setting tables here and there, laying everything out in 'perfect party position'; Rainbow had the Weather Patrol pulling out all the stops to ensure that there would be nothing but sunshine for their rather important visitor; as for Rarity, well…

She reacted about as everypony expected: going into a tizzy, wondering what to wear, what outfits to design, and generally making quite the fuss about the whole ordeal until Pinkie and Rainbow dumped a cloud of rainwater on her.

Twilight took no pleasure in seeing her friend soaked to the core, mane dripping wet and looking quite put out, but it had to be done in order to get her point across: formal dress was unnecessary, just as it had been for the Princess' visit. It was just a welcoming party, albeit one of considerably larger and grander scale than others.

And it was all for _Harry_ – her S.B.B.F.F. Harry!

She was still quite unhappy with the way he'd acted about his injuries, but the didn't change their friendship. It was a stupid thing to say, incredibly so, but, to his credit, he shut up and listened readily as soon as he realized just how much his words bothered her.

It might have taken him a while, but he had apologized for causing everypony such distress and – quite unnecessarily, and having the no doubt unintended effect of showing just how much their relationship mattered in this, his most vulnerable time – ending the letter with an awkward "_Friends_?" as the final line.

That silly pony had been worried that she was so angry that he'd be replaced by her Ponyville friends.

Naturally, she immediately sent a reply, stating that yes she was still his friend, which was exactly why she had been so furious. It was exactly why the mere thought of his all too casual dismissal of his wellbeing still made her see red.

_Prince Harry Morningstar_, she thought wryly. _Equestria's most brilliant idiot_.

A truly fitting title, in her opinion.

Of course, if Harry were here, he'd no doubt be happy to remind her that she wasn't without those moments herself, but she didn't have them nearly as frequently as him! No matter what he said!

Stop looking at her like that.

"Twilight, dear!" Rarity called, cutting through her inner monologue. Turning her attention to the alabaster coated unicorn, whose purple mane and tail were, as per usual, immaculately combed and seemed to shine as the light hit it. "You drifted off, darling. Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine!" She replied with a reassuring smile. "Just got lost in thought."

Pink coat and ocean blue irises suddenly filled her vision, causing Twilight to rear back and yelp in shock as Pinkie Pie bucked the concept of boundaries in the face, for the millionth time. "Oh, I hate when that happens! I get lost inside my own head, and then I have to go find myself in there and it can take forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and – _MMF_!"

Mercifully, Rainbow Dash had come flying through a window at just that moment and, seeing Pinkie ready to go into one of her convoluted ramblings, swooped by the snack table to pick up a cupcake, and quickly banked around to stuff it in the party pony's mouth, effectively silencing her for a moment.

"Pinks, I've only been in the room for two seconds and you're already making me want to pluck out my feathers!" The prismatic maned mare said with a quirked brow and mildly amused smirk. "Mind toning down the crazy a few notches?"

Swallowing the cupcake in one big gulp, Pinkie shook her head back and forth so fast it became nothing more than a puffy pink blur. "Nopey-dopey, Dashie!" She refuted with a merry giggle. "Today is way too hap-hap-happy and exciting to be all boring and not fun!"

Rarity interjected with a light 'ahem,' lifting a delicate hoof and bringing it to her chest. "While her antics may seem a bit over the top, Rainbow Dash, I quite agree with Pinkie – this day is simply much to important for one to sit back on their flanks and let pass by, darling!"

"Whatever," Rainbow replied with a dismissive wave. "I'd just like for this party to end without either having to clean half a cake off myself" here, she paused to aim a glare at the giggling pink-coated mare. "Or have to clean tree sap off a certain trio of fillies!"

The air was suddenly driven from her lungs as a heavy hoof thumped her on the back. Rainbow winced, rubbing the sore spot with a hoof and glancing back at the chuckling farmpony, her old friend, Applejack.

"Ah second that motion, y'all!" She nodded while keeping a watchful eye on the little fillies as they tried their hooves at becoming 'Cutie Mark Crusaders, Prince Party Planners' by hanging streamers from a low-hanging railing. To nopony's shock, Pinkie Pie had thrown her full support behind that particular notion, loudly proclaiming that four party ponies would make for four times the fun!

Every inhabitant of the formerly quiet town shuddered at the mere thought of four Pinkie Pies roaming the streets. They'd already dealt with a wave of clones, they didn't need a repeat!

Applejack, however, was focused on the upcoming festivities. "Ah'm just as excited as anypony that we got another visit from royalty an' all, but Ah think Ah'll settle for a nice, relaxin' party fer a change. An' that means no shenanigans Pinkie!"

"_Hey_!" Pinkie snapped, dropping her grin and leveling her friend with a look of righteous indignation. Within an instant, she was muzzle-to-muzzle with Applejack, looking into her jade green eyes as if trying to look into her soul. "I'm the premier party planning pony around these parts, partner!" She scolded, poking the orange-coated farmpony in the chest with the last word. For a brief moment, silence reigned as Applejack sweated slightly under the heated gaze of the typically happy-go-lucky mare, worried that she may have unintentionally set her hoof in one of her friend's pressure points.

Clearing her throat awkwardly, Applejack took a step back and smiled uneasily. "A-Ah was only playin', Sugarcube! Just… Really, Ah was just hopin' we could – ya know – keep that stuff to a minimum, with important company, an' all…"

"Well, _duh_!" She blinked as Pinkie rolled her eyes and booped her nose. "Of course I know that stuff, silly-billy AJ! I can't shoot my party cannon off at Prince Morningstar before we're friends! I'm waiting for our 'YAY! You've made friends with everypony in Ponyville' party for that!"

Nopony bothered questioning her on that matter; there was little doubt that such a party could very well be in the works when Pinkie Pie was involved.

"Oh, um, Twilight," five sets of eyes turned their attention to the meek, butter yellow-coated mare with light pink mane, who looked as though she were trying in vain to blend into the colorful pile of balloons streamers and balloons behind her. "I – um – I don't mean to bother you, I just – oh, if it's not too much to ask…"

With a patient smile, Twilight sidled up to her stammering friend and placed a supporting hoof on her shoulder. "What is it, Fluttershy? Do you need help putting up the banner?"

"No – oh, well, yes, actually. It's rather awkward for one pony to carry, and I'm really not that strong a flyer…"

"Say no more!" Rainbow Dash interrupted, holding up a hoof as she zipped over to her fellow pegasus' side. "Get those wings flapping, Flutters! You and me will have that banner up in no time!"

"'You and I,'" Twilight corrected automatically.

The stunt flying Weather Team captain scoffed as she took hold of one end of the banner. "Yeah, yeah, Egghead! If I wanted Equish lessons, I'd go talk to Cheerilee!"

Drawing in a deep breath, Princess Celestia's student just let that one slide. It wasn't worth the hassle to get into a petty argument over something as silly as a grammatical error today. Harry was coming to stay; today was a good day.

"Um, Twilight, I still had something to – well, you don't really have to answer if you don't mind – but I had a question about your, um, friend."

"About Harry?" She asked, perking right up.

Her friends knew just how excited she was, Twilight had literally bounced around them in circles chanting 'Yesyesyesyesyes' in a manner they would've expected from Pinkie Pie.

Over the past year or so, they had become at least familiar with Twilight's relationship with her old friend and fellow student, if only the general points of the history they shared. That the two had graduated from Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns together, that he had gone into a rather obscure, innovative branch of research which combined both magical and scientific theories while she chose to focus her further studies on the mysteries and progression of magic itself. He was clearly smart, that much was certain.

Rainbow Dash had jokingly noted that Ponyville's egghead position had already been filled, so he'd have to apply elsewhere. Twilight just rolled her eyes, wacked her over the head with a rolled up copy of the Foal Free Press and pointedly ignored her snickers.

But, much like when she'd sprung the news that she had an older brother on them, all the girls really had was her stories about him – not the genuine article. He sounded… interesting. At least, it seemed like he would be interesting, if Twilight or Spike could make it more than halfway through a story about one of his various antics without bursting into uncontrollable laughter, rendering them unable to finish as they surrendered to fits of giggling and incoherently babbled fragments of dialogue.

Nonetheless, Twilight wanted them to meet Harry, her hope that she could tie her Ponyville friends and her only real Canterlot friend into one big, happy group plainly obvious for everypony to see.

The girls resolved to give him a chance, quietly hoping that he didn't turn out like Rainbow's former friend, Gilda.

Flluttershy, in particular, was worried about that more than anything. Though she hadn't said it vocally, her body language and stammers had given her friends several big hints.

Despite hearing Spike and Twilight talk about him, Harry was still a new pony. Fluttershy didn't do very well with new ponies. Thus, for the umpteenth time, she was going to ask her question, needing the reassurance that would come from the Canterlot duo. "I was – um – just wondering… if you don't mind my asking –"

"Oh, for the love of – just spit it out, Fluttershy!" Rainbow groaned as she hung her end of the banner.

Unfortunately, her demand startled her easily spooked friend, causing her to squeak and release her hold on the banner's opposite end. Rainbow sighed, swooping down to catch the falling signage as it unfurled, showing the message written in emerald green lettering and white background:

_Welcome to Ponyville, Prince Morningstar_!

The girls didn't quite understand why Twilight hid a smile behind her hoof; it was his title, what was so funny about that?

That question was stalled as Fluttershy blushed and stammered apologies to her fellow pegasus. "Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, Rainbow!"

"Don't worry about it!" Came the reply, along with a dismissive wave as she finished hanging the banner herself. "Just tell us what's got your feathers so ruffled, filly."

"Oh, well, um, yes. You see, I was just wondering if Harry was, well, nice – oh, you don't have to answer if you don't want to! I know you've told us stories but I just get so nervous and… well…"

"It's fine, Fluttershy, really." Twilight replied soothingly. "I know meeting new ponies isn't easy for you, but trust me, Harry is one of the nicest ponies you'll ever meet, if a bit eccentric at times."

Applejack raised a brow at that answer. "If he's so nice, do ya mind explainin' why you 'n Spike came back from visitin' him, madder than a pair o' wet hens?"

"We had an argument," she said, her smile fading into a tight grimace at the memory, as it had whenever the subject came up. "Some things were said, but we've made up."

"Darling, I would hardly say that your attitude suggests you've 'made up' entirely," Rarity interjected. "The issue is clearly still a sore spot, if I might be so bold."

"But you already were so bold!" Pinkie noted happily.

"Yes, dear, thank you. Now, Twilight, I believe you've kept the details of your little spat with Harry to yourself, for your own reasons, I'm sure. But –"

Twilight raised a hoof to silence her before turning to catch Spike's attention and waving him over to help. It was probably best if they both explained that Harry was… well… Harry was Harry.

True to form, Spike came running like the good pseudo little brother/number one assistant that he was. "What is it Twilight? Did we forget something? We're not off schedule are we? Please, tell me we're not off schedule!" As he spoke in slightly panicked tones, the little drake poked his claws together and frantically searched the room for anything out of place.

Nothing seemed wrong. The streamers were up, even the ones the Crusaders had been wrestling with a moment ago; all the balloons were inflated and carefully placed in their positions; snacks and drinks were in full supply; hay, Derpy, her coltfriend and Dinkie had taken extra care not to have any mishaps that might cause trouble!

"No, Spike!" Twilight stopped his near frantic inspection, rubbing his head fins with a hoof. "The girls just want to know a bit more about Harry before they meet him."

The drake's brows flat lined. "Would it kill ya to say it before I freak out? You're gonna give me a heart attack someday!"

"Awww, don't be mad Spikey-wikey!" Pinkie cooed as she snatched him up into an impromptu hug and nuzzled his cheeks, which colored as he tried to slip from her grasp. "We just wanna know about Harry-berry, 'cause Flutters is getting all nervous that he might be Gilda-two-point-oh and we wanna make sure that he's really nice so we can all be friends!"

"Riiight," he slowly replied. "Well, he really is nice, so no worries about another Gilda – uh, no offense, Dash."

"None taken, dude. She turned out to be a pain in the flank in the end." Rainbow said with a shrug. As far as she was concerned, Gilda wasn't really worth it if she couldn't make an effort to be nice to her newer friends, no matter how 'lame' she thought they might be.

"That still don't answer mah question," Applejack threw in, ready to repeat for Spike's benefit. "Y'all were ready ta beat 'im senseless a while back, so what in the hay was that about?"

"Oh, that," the girls noted that, like Twilight, he seemed to grimace at the mention of that event. "Look, Harry's one of the nicest, smartest, and most magically gifted ponies you'll ever meet – he's up there with Twilight in those terms."

The mare in question blushed slightly and pinned back her ears at the praise. "Spike, really, I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm not a measuring stick for magical power." Her comment garnered a round of raised brows from everypony in earshot, causing her blush to deepen.

Spike just shook his head, smiled and kept going. "Anyways, he's also one of the most stubborn and… well, prone to some moments when he does what we've come to refer to as 'holding the Idiot Ball.'"

"Spike!" Rarity gasped, bringing a hoof to her mouth at the drake's crassness. "That is incredibly rude!"

"Rarity, Harry knows about it," Twilight stepped up to assist her charge. "He's the one who came up with the name, actually."

"Yeah, that's right! After he added an ingredient out of order to an invisibility potion and turned his mane and coat bright orange, right?"

"That's the one! I still have the picture – oh, his face was so priceless; you just _have_ to see it, girls!"

Applejack tilted her head, focusing more on the 'Idiot Ball' than the half-story. "Sooo, he's really smart –"

"- But prone to mistakes?" Rarity finished, rubbing her chin in thought.

"Kinda!" The library inhabitants giggled simultaneously.

Rainbow Dash smirked. "Sounds like a regular barrel of laughs, Twi! Can't wait to see this goofball friend of yours in action!"

"Yeah, totally!" Pinkie bounced in agreement. "We're gonna have such a super-duper-alley-ooper-funnerific time! We're gonna be the best! Friends! Ever!" As she finished, Pinkie bounced high enough to reach up and touch the ceiling before gravity kicked in and brought her back down, where she landed nimbly on all fours, her expression falling slightly as a thought occurred to her. "Wow. I actually feel really bad about not being able to throw him a party – if it weren't for Prince Morningstar, we could celebrate Harry's visit tonight!"

Twilight waved off her worries, the error in Pinkie's statement going right over her head. "Pinkie Pie, relax! I'm sure Harry will appreciate the party just fine – we've all put in a lot of effort to make it special for him!"

Sadness gave way to confusion in Pinkie, a state mirrored by four other mares, who looked at Twilight as if she'd grown a second head.

"Uh, Twi," Applejack began slowly. "What're ya talkin' 'bout, Sugarcube?"

"What? I just said that he'd appreciate it! What do you think, Spike?"

"There's no way he won't! He'll get over the shock and have fun like that!" He affirmed, snapping his claws for emphasis.

Rainbow zipped over, placing a hoof on their foreheads to check for fever. "Are you two sick or something?" She asked, worried that the pair might be coming down with some sort of flu. Definitely not the way anypony would want to start of a visit from their friend.

"No! We're fine, Rainbow!" Twilight brushed the offending limb away, shooting the pegasus a quizzical look. She drew back slightly as she noticed that the others seemed to mirror Rainbow's concern. "What?"

"Darling, I think you may have misspoken," Rarity carefully supplied, knowing how frazzled her bookish friend could become when things went wrong. "You implied that this party is for Harry rather than Prince Morningstar. Are you certain that you're not overtired?"

"Ah gotta agree with Rainbow and Rarity, Sugarcube. You 'n Spike have been rushin' about ever since y'all got that letter from Princess Celestia 'bout Harry comin' to stay for a while. Maybe the two of ya should lay down while we finish up here."

"Oh, dear! I'm sorry! I should've noticed that you two were exhausted! If you want, I can make some tea – that should help you relax!"

"Sorry, Twily-wily and Spikey-wikey, but nopony's gonna sleep through a super-special-Prince-visit-party on my watch! You two are officially on nap time – just like the twins!"

"'Fraid they're right, guys. Being tired during a big party and a friend's visit is in the top ten on the 'uncool' list."

Spike and Twilight turned to one another, silently wondering what in the hay had gotten into the girls, when something caught their eye: the banner.

Welcome to Ponyville, Prince Morningstar!

Prince Morningstar.

_Morningstar_.

Not 'Prince Harry Morningstar' or 'Prince Harry the Morningstar,' just 'Prince Morningstar.'

Twilight racked her brains, trying to recall the moment that she or Spike had told them that Harry was Princess Celestia's son, that Harry was a Prince, that Morningstar was just a silly nickname that somehow stuck!

She couldn't. As far back as she could remember, everypony in town referred to him as 'Prince Morningstar.' Mayor Mare in the official announcement, excited schoolfoals as they chattered about the visiting Prince, the girls, everypony called him by that nickname!

She couldn't recall such a time because neither she nor Spike had. The look shared between the two said it all:

_We just held the Idiot Bal_l!

"Harry _never_ finds out about this!" She hissed through the corner of her mouth.

"Not in a million years!" Spike agreed wholeheartedly. "Or we'll never hear the end of it!"

Rarity cleared her throat, quite perturbed at suddenly being dropped out of the conversation. "Really! What has gotten into you two? You're making less sense than Pinkie on a sugar rush!"

"Foul!" Pinkie claimed, pointing an accusatory hoof at the alabaster unicorn. "Over exaggeration and blatant lie! Five yard penalty, repeat third down!"

"Oh, hush! My point stands! You two start explaining! Now!"

Twilight and Spike gulped, taking a step back from the irritated unicorn. A glance from Spike, coupled with his claws being held up in front of him as if in surrender and shaking his head sealed it: he wasn't going to be the messenger on this one.

_Little traitor_!

She took a deep breath, readying herself for the fallout. It was already embarrassing enough, but she knew exactly how her friends would react to this piece of news.

It wasn't going to be pretty…

"Girls," she began hesitantly, trying to think of a way to break it to them that would minimalize their reaction. "There's something I may have, completely, _definitely_ forgotten to tell you…"

Five mares gave her looks of confusion or, in the case of Rarity, mild irritation that she was dragging out the revelation for so long.

Better get it over with. "'Morningstar' is just a nickname that caught on, h –"

"Just a – WHAT?!" Rarity shrieked, looking from Twilight to the banner and back again. "Why didn't you say anything? It's all wrong! Everypony thinks that –"

"I know, Rarity! I know!" She interrupted through gritted teeth, her friend's shrieking not helping her mood in the least bit. "I know it's not his name, but it's fine. He'll be embarrassed for a minute and then just go right along with it. Believe me, I've known Harry long enough."

"Well, if ya say so – wait a sec!" Applejack did a double take at the name. What the hay? "Sugarcube, Ah must have somethin' in mah ears, 'cause Ah thought ya said ya knew Harry long 'nough for it ta be alright with 'im… The hay's Harry gotta do with Prince Morningstar – err, the Prince?"

Twilight groaned and facehoofed, this was just going around in circles. "That's what I'm trying to tell you! Harry doesn't know Prince Morningstar, he _is_ Prince Morningstar!"

Everything stopped as Twilight's outburst seemed to reverberate throughout Ponyville's Town Hall, everypony turned, in almost perfect synchronization, to gape at the frazzled student of Princess Celestia.

She could feel the eyes on her, but that wasn't what made her fur stand on edge. Rather, it was the looks of panic shared by four mares…

And a look of shock that seemed to gradually give way to a stern, serious glare, something that certainly didn't belong on the face of the whimsical, free wheeling, happy-go-lucky party pony herself.

Twilight whimpered as Pinkie took a step forward.


	3. The Wrath of Pie

**Disclaimer: I do not own the **_**Harry Potter series**_** or **_**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic**_

**Chapter 3: The Wrath of Pie**

Harry sighed, letting his head rest against the window, absentmindedly watching the Equestrian countryside fly by as the train sped towards his destination.

Ponyville, the small town on the edge of the Everfree Forest, set in the shadow of the capitol city. A town where Zebrecan shamanesses shopped for herbs, a minotaur set up an assertiveness seminar, an animal caretaker stared a cockatrice _and_ a fully grown dragon, the Apple family's ancestral farm proudly stood, a budding fashion designer set up shop, a candy making party planner repeatedly bucked the laws of physics in the face and a self-proclaimed 'future Wonderbolt' practiced and captained the local Weather Team.

He could practically recite the names, professions and various claims to fame of Twilight's newest friends; her P.B.F.F.s, as she referred to them in one letter.

A smile spread across his face, that mare certainly loved her acronyms. What was it she called him, again? S.B.B.F.F.? Yes, that was it.

His Study Buddy Best Friend Forever, a name which came complete with memories of late night studying, snuggling up against his mother at the end of a long day of learning, book forts, teaching baby Spike how to talk and use his magical dragon fire, and hiding from Shining Armor and Cadence whenever they declared that it was 'bed time' for little foals.

As much as it bothered him that he couldn't continue his work, seeing Twilight was a welcome change of pace. Harry truly did miss her, and little Spike, too. Even if his meticulously organized clutter drove both of them – Spike was as much a neat freak as she was, no matter how much he protested – to beating him over the head with a daily planner.

Seriously. Twilight had done that once. It wasn't fun nor did it help him get organized. It was the first and only time he'd ever seen her go zero-for-two.

Of course, when he pointed that last little tidbit out, Harry had been on the receiving end of one of her patented annoyed glares, which shut him up rather quickly.

Yes, thinking positively like that would help with the transition. Who knows? Maybe his mother had a point. Maybe seeing Twilight and Spike again would help him unwind a bit, so to speak, and improve his outlook on life.

If her stories were anything to go by, her little herd of friends were quite the lively bunch, so he'd hardly be short any entertainment during his stay. From the prospective Wonderbolt to the wacky party pony, they _did _seem like a barrel of laughs.

Come to think of it, he didn't have to deal with any of those whiny nobles complaining that his research was 'disturbing the peace' – he was opening a bloody dimensional rift, for Maker's sake! Of course there was going to be some noise!

Bucking idiots.

And, along the same lines, he didn't have to show up at any overly formal parties or get dragged to one of Blueblood's 'social networking events.' Social networking his cutie mark, Blueblood just wanted somepony to sit next to and make snide comments to. Granted, they had some fun taking the piss out of Jet Set and Upper Crust, but still… not exactly Harry's idea of a good time.

Now, if they wanted to start up a discussion on the properties of anti-matter, that was an entirely different story.

Yes, he could definitely do without the constant griping of nobles, and, as a matter of fact, a few others as well. He didn't have to watch what he did or said, lest some media pony be lurking; he didn't have to worry about offending some foreign dignitary; hay, he wouldn't even have to keep making excuses to duck out of some noble's stupid party!

But above all else, there was one thing he was simply _ecstatic_ that he could now avoid: the presence of that irritating, smug, little troll who just popped in and out of the palace as he pleased.

Harry snorted. "No more of _that_ old nuisance!" He closed his eyes, smiling contently as he tried to get a bit of rest in before his arrival.

"_Au contraire, mon capitain!" _Harry's eyes snapped open, his head turned sharply to the source of the voice – and was greeted by a _most_ unwelcome sight.

Body comprised seemingly of animal parts selected at random, clad in a mariachi uniform, holding a pair of maraca, was the Lord of Chaos, Disorder and Disharmony himself.

_Discord_.

Banging his head against the glass and closing his eyes, as if hoping he could pretend this was all a bad dream, Harry grumbled under his breath. "Buck my life."

This was going to be a _long_ two hours.

* * *

If she didn't know better, Twilight would've sworn that her brain was bouncing around inside her skull.

Why's that? Well, funny you should ask…

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL MEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!" Pinkie wailed, roughly shaking her friend by her shoulders.

"PInkIE! I'm SOrRY! I ThoUGHT I HAD!" Came the librarian's reply, her voice distorted as she was jostled back and forth. Pinkie released her, letting her stumble over and fall to the floor, eyes swirling comically as they tried to reorient themselves to their surroundings.

"Twi-LIIIIGHT!" Pinkie Pie whined, stomping a hoof in frustration. "I would've made this party twice – no – a gazillion times better if I'd known Harry was Prince Morningstar and Prince Morningstar was Harry and he was your friend! Now I've lost all that time I could've been planning a really-extra-special-Prince-slash-best-friend-welcome-to-Ponyville-hope-we-can-be-bestest-friends-too-party!"

A low, gibberish filled moan was all the response that greeted her, causing the party mare to frown. This was not good; this was completely and totally, one hundred percent _not good_!

Rounding on a certain drake, who was trying to edge out of sight, Pinkie jabbed a hoof in his direction. "What time is Prince Harry-berry Morningstar gonna be here?"

"Oh – uh – two hours – uh – ma'am!" Spike replied, snapping to attention and throwing up a salute as though he were a cadet in Shining Armor's Guard.

"Not a lot of time, but we can work with it! Alright! Ponies: assemble!"

Everypony in the immediate vicinity dropped whatever it was they were doing and shot over, standing in front of the party guru in a straight line, faces grim and ready to receive orders.

Pinkie took parties _very_ seriously, so when she said 'jump' to anypony aiding her, they didn't even bother asking 'how high.'

They jumped and jumped and jumped until she said 'okie-dokie-loki, we're good!'

That's just how these things go. Welcome to Ponyville.

"Alright, ponies! Turns out that _somepony_," she aimed an accusatory glare at Twilight, who was still struggling to right herself after being thoroughly shaken. "Forgot to tell us that Prince Morningstar is really Prince Harry-berry, her best friend before she came to Ponyville! We've only got a couple of hours, so we're gonna have to work super-extra-hard to pull this off and make this the most amazing party _ever_! Any questions?"

In unison, her makeshift troops shook their heads, awaiting whatever orders she gave.

"Good! Now, you ponies on the right! I want more balloons, bigger, brighter and balloonier than before! Ponies on the left, we're gonna need even more snacks from Sugarcube Corner, so help Mr. and Mrs. Cake move them over! Tell them to put it on my tab and I'll explain later! Applejack!"

"Whatcha need, Sugarcube?"

"Do you still have some cider in storage, the stuff that Twilight put a stasis spell on?"

"Sure do! We been savin' it fer somethin' special! An' Ah'd say this fits the bill!"

"Perfect! You and Macky grab a barrel or two and bring it back, double pronto! Fluttershy!"

The butter-yellow pegasus gave a startled squeak at her friend's volume and sudden attention. "Y-Yes?" She whimpered, nearly inaudible.

For an instant, Pinkie considered asking about her singing birds, but dashed the thought; there just wasn't enough time! Plus, Fluttershy would get all frowny and teary and squeaky if she was put under that much pressure without fair notice!

So much to do, so many ponies to direct, so very little time!

With that in mind, Pinkie knew exactly what to do to prevent any nervous breakdowns on the part of her ever-shy friend. "You can help me! I've got a bunch of party stuff stashed _all_ over Ponyville! We can make this the most stupendous party ever!"

"Oh-Oh, okay," Fluttershy replied softly, smiling in relief that she wouldn't have to do anything too stressful. Decorations were fun and easy; she wouldn't be put on the spot or in danger of being embarrassed in front of royalty!

Thank Celestia!

"Great! Now, Rarity…" Pinkie trailed off, noticing that there was somepony missing from formation. "Rarity? Rarity! This is no time to play hide-and-seek! We have emergency party protocol to discuss!"

"I'm not hiding, I'm trying to fix everything!" Came a dismayed reply from Ponyville's fashionista. Turning toward the source of her panicked voice, one found Rarity, horn alight with magic, frantically trying to correct the name displayed in those bold green letters.

A few ponies took a step back; Derpy scooped Dinky up into her wing for protection as they beheld the near manic expression on the typically prim and proper unicorn's face.

The lack of formalities involved in the party planning had been difficult enough for her to wrap her head around, she'd argued vehemently in favor of more of an upper class feel to this event, but had been shot down rather quickly by Spike and Twilight. But add in the Canterlotian duo's little faux pas and the fact that said Prince of Equestria was their oldest and closest friend…

It was a rare moment in which Rarity and Pinkie were of similar mind: this party should have been planned out to be bigger and _far_ more special! Not that they hadn't given their full effort initially, but it was the principle of the matter that made it feel as though it should have been more.

The Prince was Twilight's friend; by right, they should have made it as extravagant an affair as the times when Princess Celestia had graced them with her presence. But a certain student librarian had put her hoof down and convinced them to 'tone it down' a bit, for his benefit.

Her knowledge of _exactly_ what he would and wouldn't enjoy should have been a _big_ hint that her relationship with him wasn't mere happenstance, but that was hindsight for you.

All those hints dropped, the opportunity wasted, and the sudden discovery that –

"Uh, Rarity," Spike called nervously from his position beside Twilight. "You can leave the banner the way it is. Really. He'll just grumble a bit and blush. He always does."

He flinched at the stern look his longtime crush aimed in his direction. "I'm surprised at you, Spike! I'd think that you, as Prince Harry's friend, would want this mistake corrected and for us to give our guest the best possible welcome to our beloved town!"

"But –"

"No buts!" Pinkie threw in, popping up beside the young drake and very nearly scaring him out of his scales. She glared down at Spike, leaning in close enough "Silly looks on Harry-berry's face or not, this party is going to be amazing or my name isn't Pinkamena Diane Pie! Got it?"

"Got it!" He squeaked. Internally, that was Spike's cue to take a step back and keep his mouth shut until it got a bit less Pinkie in Town Hall.

Actually, Spike felt it would be best to wait until it got a _lot_ less Pinkie in here!

Pinkie nodded to herself, satisfied that she'd gotten her point across, and turned to the last remaining pony. "Dashie, I think you know what a super-special-awesome party calls for!"

"Aye, aye, Captain Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash replied, throwing up a salute. "One Sonic Rainboom charged, primed and ready to fire!"

"Alrighty-tighty! Well, you all know what to do! Ready? BREAK!"

It was at that point that Twilight's world stopped spinning and her brain managed to make sense of what was going on. "Okay, _no_!" She snapped, channeling magic into her horn and engulfing everypony in her telekinetic field. "This has gone on long enough! You're all going to sit down and listen to me, _right now_!"

Being forced into sitting positions and locked in place by the magical field of Princess Celestia's personal student, the very same mare who'd tamed an Ursa Minor and wielded forbidden time travel magic, effectively silenced any and all protests before they could even be voiced.

And if that wasn't the root cause, the look of irritation and utter seriousness on Twilight's face was a rather big hint that her limit for craziness had been reached – and Pinkie hadn't even pulled out her suction cups yet.

All eyes were on the local librarian as she paced back and forth, her gaze locking on each pony in turn. "I know that Spike and I messed up, me especially, but it was an honest mistake. However, even so, I wouldn't change a thing about this party. Normally, Pinkie, I would gladly follow your plan – but this is probably the one time that I can say that one of your big, extravagant parties wouldn't work out."

Pinkie raised a hoof and made to object, but Twilight covered her mouth before she could start in on the importance of big parties, or something of the like. "_Listen_, Pinkie. I've known him ten years, I know what he likes; I know what makes him uneasy, grin like a little colt, laugh in that silly way he does, makes him angry, scared or deathly serious. I know the stallion, not just 'Prince Harry Morningstar,' or whatever ponies like to call him. That being said, when I tell you that he doesn't like big parties like – well – most ponies in town, I _really_ mean it. Got it?"

Twilight eased her hold on the group just enough to allow them to nod slowly in unison. She did make a good point. Well…

A good point to everypony not named Pinkie. "B-But…" She whimpered, her eyes widening to the size of plates and shimmering with tears as she employed her most lethal weapon. "Party, Twilight!"

"You can have a few more balloons and _one_ extra kind of cupcakes, but that's all!" Twilight groaned, messaging her forehead with a hoof.

Pinkie squealed and shot off out the door, leaving everypony present wondering just _how in the hay_ she'd managed to do so when Twilight still had them in her telekinesis.

Any glances towards the flustered librarian were met only with grumblings of 'darn it, Pinkie' just before she released the rest of the group so they might return to their regularly scheduled duties. Well, the rest of the group minus four.

"Sooo, we're not gonna make this some fancy-shmancy thing?" Applejack asked in summary. "Works fer me, Ah guess."

"It would be nice to make him comfortable," Fluttershy agreed, meekly lowing her head. "Meeting new ponies is always (eep!) scary!"

Though Fluttershy's meek and timid nature could be somewhat grating, Twilight jumped to affirm her statement. "That's just it, Fluttershy!"

Her sudden exclamation caused the butter-yellow mare to flinch at the volume, but she slowly raised her head, returning her gaze to meet her friends' eyes, and gave a small smile of gratitude. "O-Oh, um, thank you… but… Twilight, won't Prince Harry -"

"Just Harry." Both Twilight and Spike corrected in unison, rolling their eyes as if this was part of old dialogue.

"Ah… okay, uh, if I'm right, then won't Harry get frightened by this?"

The library inhabitants shared an uneasy smile. "Well, a bit," Twilight admitted. "But, not exactly frightened in the sense that you are, Fluttershy. Uh, no offense."

Fluttershy just gave a sheepish grin, she couldn't exactly object to that point; she _did_ admit that even she considered herself to be weak and helpless to Discord.

"Yeah, he doesn't quite go hiding – well, not _anymore_ – he just gets really, really nervous around big crowds of ponies." Spike added. "It depends on what's going on really – he can lecture and teach science and math, but he gets fidgety and twitchy, especially at stuff like the Grand Galloping Gala."

"The Grand – Spike, I don't mean to take away from your point, but we didn't see him at the Gala!" Rarity objected. "Perhaps he might be a bit anti-social, but wouldn't he have been at Princess Celestia's side with Twilight to greet entrants? Or, at the very least, come by to say hello?"

"He couldn't go," Twilight replied, her ears pinning back as the memory came forth in full force. All those little emotions from that day were still very real, from the moment Princess Celestia's letter arrived to the sight of her old friend laying, bloodied and broken, in a hospital bed. "That was right after his accident. He still hadn't woken up yet…"

Acting quickly, Spike moved beside his de facto sister and boss, placing a comforting claw on her foreleg. It bothered him almost as much as it did her, but the pair had been helping one another deal with their mutual feelings. "C'mon Twilight, he's okay now! He cleared physical rehab!" Seeing violet ears perk up a bit, he continued. "Besides, Harry's here for fun, not work!"

"Heh. You're right, Spike." That reassurance did make her feel a bit better; as much as she supported his work, it was comforting to know that he wouldn't be putting himself in any danger trying to open up dimensional rifts in his basement. "I suppose our only real problem will be making sure he sticks to his 'no work' stipulation."

Rarity cleared her throat to get their attention before they managed to transition into another anecdote about the young Prince. She knew better, by now, than to bother too much about the specifics of his accident and hospital stay. Anytime somepony tried, the two either launched into an angry rant about how much of an utter idiot he could be or got quiet and depressed at the memory of their first visit to his room.

Neither of which were any fun to deal with.

"Well, that explains his absence at the Gala, but it doesn't quite explain his aversion to big affairs!" She noted, with a delicate brow raised in questioning. "Surely, having lived in the palace with Princess Celestia, being raised in the high society of Canterlot, going to such a prestigious school and being invited to all sorts of high social events is the norm for him, yes?"

Her question was met with pair of cringes. "Actually, that's where you're wrong," Twilight began. "Harry's always been… well, he just finds a lot of the high society life incredibly dull. Hay, the only time he ever used to really smile at those was if Princess Celestia, his cousins, Shiny, Spike or I were with him. Otherwise, he did his best to avoid it unless he absolutely had to – like at a grant function for his research."

"Heh, so he prefers work to fancy-shmancy parties?" Applejack cut in, rubbing her chin in consideration. "Seems like mah kind o' stallion, let alone mah kind o' Prince!"

"Hay yeah!" Rainbow hooted, pumping a hoof. "If he can take a joke and doesn't have a massive stick up his plot like some of those snobs from the Gala, I can deal with the additional egghead!"

"Gee, thanks Rainbow!" Twilight drawled. "You really now how to make a mare feel good."

Her response earned her a light whack from one of the cyan mare's wings. "Aw, c'mon, Twilight! You know what I mean! You're cool in your own eggheady, smart, awesomely magical way! I just think it's totally rad that your friend isn't finicky and stuffy. Like _somepony_ can be!"

"I am not!" Came the inevitable reply. "Just because I have an appreciation for fashion and decorum doesn't mean that I'm a snob!"

"It's a joke, Rares, _sheesh_!"

"Oh, sheesh yourself! Back to the topic at hoof," Rarity returned her gaze to Twilight and Spike. "I'm sorry, dears, maybe it's just me, but I just can't seem to wrap my head around this – you speak so highly of Prince Harry –"

"Just Harry."

"- Until he says otherwise, _I_ will address him with his proper title! Now, as I was saying, you speak so highly of him, but you make him seem like he would rather ignore his status and pretend he's just an ordinary pony!"

"Exactly," Spike answered with a shrug. "Well, an ordinary pony who's just as smart and nearly as powerful as Twilight, with doctorates in magic and physics, a research lab, and whose guest lectures usually end up having ponies turned away at the door because the auditoriums are so full, but yeah, that's pretty much him."

Rainbow gave a low whistle. "Okay, wow. That's actually pretty awesome. Sounds like he's draws a crowd whenever he talks about that egghead stuff, huh?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," Twilight chuckled. "He told me that he has to look past them so he doesn't see just how many ponies he's talking to or he gets really nervous!"

"O-Oh, dear! I know the feeling!" Fluttershy squeaked. "B-But Twilight, i-if Harry can do all that, why don't you ever lecture to crowds?"

"Well, I'm doing in depth studies into the theories of magic," she replied. "I managed to get my own doctorates in magical theory, application and history of the magical arts, but, right now, I'm working on my own dissertation on the magic of friendship. Once we have more information on how our everyday relationships affect magic itself, I'll probably do a few lectures on the subject before I find another project."

"Heh, two big shots like you 'n Harry in little, ol' Ponyville," Applejack drawled. "Ah can hardly believe it. Still, yer pal seems so much like ya, but pretty different too. Ah'd go as far as sayin' that he's pretty much as far away from a fairytale prince as he can get!"

"He's as far away from what most of Canterlot society can get!" Rarity all but whimpered. "I'm sorry, dear, but I just have to say it: from the way you describe him, he has no interest in high society and would rather study than to establish a social network! He doesn't even sound like he appreciates the culture!"

Twilight frowned slightly. "He appreciates our culture quite a bit, actually. We both used to go to Canterlot Museum to visit the exhibits on the Classical Equestrian era or the works of Starswirl the Bearded or…"

She was cut off by an alabaster hoof being placed against her mouth. "It's exactly as Rainbow Dash thought." Rarity noted, her brows almost perfectly horizontal. "There are now _two_ highly educated, Canterlotians with no appreciation for elite society. This… I don't even know what to call this, other than the absolute worst. Possible. Th – MMPH!"

Sometimes, even Twilight had to admit that Pinkie had a point – cupcakes could be very effective in ending a conversation.

* * *

The idea of shattering the window and throwing himself out of a moving train, leaving everything to chance. Harry ran through some calculations, idly musing on whether or not he'd survive such an impact, given the speed at which the train was going and the terrain that he'd be falling onto.

Yeah. There was a chance that he'd survive, albeit with more than half of the bones in his body broken, but he'd be alive enough for his mother to tear him a new one.

_Not exactly on my list of things to do_, Harry concluded. It probably wasn't worth doing, no matter how better than the alternative it was.

Frankly, he wasn't sure what drove Discord to do whatever he did, but he was somewhat torn as to which part of _this_ little matter was worse:

The fact that he'd made a full band appear or the fact that the music was catchy.

Clearly, he desperately needed to have his head examined.


	4. Welcome, Prince Harry

Twilight stood on the platform, with Spike sitting upon her back, eagerly waiting as members of the Royal Guard filed out of the lavishly decorated train car, the very same one that all members of the Royal Family travelled in, and took positions on either side of the doorway.

The library inhabitants were almost giddy with excitement; Spike couldn't stop his claws from twitching, while Twilight was half a step from bouncing like Pinkie Pie!

It had been a long two hours for the pair, one hundred and twenty minutes of being thoroughly lectured by Mayor Mare for their little faux pas, trying to keep the Crusaders in line, assuring Pinkie that, yes, Harry liked the foods and drinks laid out, assuring everypony else for the umpteenth time that he wouldn't go thermonuclear once he laid eyes on the banner.

Well, his _cheeks_ might go thermonuclear, but all he was bound to do was grumble and rub his fetlock, that old nervous tick of his.

He'd probably do something in retaliation later; not that he'd hold a grudge, just that he could never really stand to let them get the last word in. Thus, why they had to make sure that he _never_ found out about their little moment with his Idiot Ball.

With the Royal Guards in position, their commanding officer stepped out; the sun gleamed off of his golden armor, causing both civilians present to wince at the momentary glare. The extra height of his crest, along with the presence of his own Cutie Mark in the center of his breastplate indicated that this was a Lieutenant, a guardspony who served directly under Twilight's own older brother.

For just an instant, a split second, the stoic expression on the Lieutenant's face gave way, a slight upward curve of the lips and a wink directed at the lavender-coated mare.

_Ah. Steel Hoof._ It was a move so typical of the so-called 'heavy hoofed' Earth pony; he would bark orders and shout threats at unfortunate cadets, but turn on a dime and share a smile and laugh with his Princess' students the moment he was out of sight of _his_ commanding officers.

And since he just so happened not to be a part of some ceremony or under the watchful gaze of Canterlot's nobility, _for once_, Steel clearly felt that he could get away with it and… was that a trumpet?

Oh, right, he still had to do _that_ part of the routine. Lieutenant Steel Hoof stepped to his right and raised the trumpet, taking a deep breath of air and bringing it to his lips…

Only for it to be suddenly engulfed in a familiar green aura and yanked out of his hoof.

Steel gave a bemused look to his floating instrument before turning his gaze to the younger, smaller pony who was just stepping through the door, his horn alight with magic and his face showing clear signs of irritation.

"With respect, I've just played host to Discord and a mariachi band for two hours before he left for Maker knows where," Harry said, pausing to adjust his rectangle shaped glasses. "Trumpets of any sort are the absolute _last_ things I want to hear!"

No amount of basic training could stop the Royal Guards from showing the slightest hint of a wince at that information, while Twilight and Spike had no such reservations and openly grimaced at the mere notion.

Two hours with Discord?

He definitely had their sympathy. Only Fluttershy and Pinkie had the patience (or craziness) to maintain their grasp on sanity after spending such a prolonged period alone with the Lord of Chaos.

Steel Hoof had the grace to look a bit sheepish as he plucked his trumpet out of Harry's telekinetic aura. "Apologies, my Prince! Just protocol and I didn't really –"

"It's fine." Harry interrupted with a wave of his hoof, stepping past the Lieutenant and towards his longtime friend. "And please, just Harry. We've discussed this a thousand times."

"And I have replied in the same manner a thousand times: the Royal Guard won't suddenly stop addressing you by title because of a whim, my Prince!" Steel chuckled, falling into step beside him.

The pair came to a stop just a hoof's length away from Twilight; silence reigned over the platform for a moment, only the hissing of steam and shifting of the train as the engineer's prepared it for the return trip breaking the atmosphere.

Twilight and Spike took a moment to give Harry a bit of a once over, it had been quite some time since they'd seen him up and moving about without an orderly present at his side, watching over his every move like a hawk, on guard for any sign of stumble or falter in his step.

He seemed to have made a fairly good recovery; he'd lost a bit of weight and managed to gain a bit of muscle, likely a product of the physical rehabilitation, and appeared to be in better spirits – Discord's antics notwithstanding.

And, Twilight had to admit, he was back to making himself look presentable; his perpetually messy mane was trimmed to its regular length and brushed back out of his eyes, his coat was brushed smooth and seemed healthier – he was lucky he could even grow some of his coat back after the burns he'd suffered.

All in all, her S.B.B.F.F. was back as he was meant to be. No more was he a weak stallion laid up in bed, no more raspy voice, no signs of burn marks.

After nearly two years, Harry was Harry again. Princess Celestia's little Morningstar was back.

Steel Hoof nudged him forward; the larger stallion gave a smirk and a roll of his eyes. Regarding Twilight, the Lieutenant threw up a salute. "I'll leave our Prince in your care, Twilight Sparkle," he intoned, eyes alight with a bit of mischief. "Do us a favor and try to keep him out of trouble!"

"_Oi_!" Harry snapped, rounding on Steel and jabbing a hoof into his shoulder. "I'm pretty sure your little protocol doesn't allow for snark!"

"Well, then be sure to submit a complaint to my superiors, my Prince! You know how Captain Shining Armor _loves_ to hear from his brother-in-law!"

A grumble was the only response that quip received; of course Harry had just been bluffing, but if Shining Armor got involved, it wouldn't end in any sort of reprimand for that smirking, cheeky Lieutenant.

Shining Armor would just laugh and send a letter through Spike, full of teasing references to a few rather embarrassing moments from his foalhood.

Harry ground his teeth together, trying to ignore the way his cheeks heated up as some of his less than stellar moments flashed through his mind. Best to just leave that well alone. "Fine, I'll behave!" He grumbled. "Jerk."

"I feel so at ease hearing that, Prince," Steel Hoof replied much too happily for the grumbling unicorn's taste. He gave a nod to their audience. "Twilight, Spike, always a pleasure." Steel did an about-face and gave a signal for his fellow Guards to prepare for the return trip to Canterlot.

Leaving the trio of friends alone on the platform.

No prompt was needed for Twilight to bound forward and throw her hooves around his neck, nuzzling his cheek. Spike hopped over onto his back, landing nimbly and catching the other side of Harry's neck in a tight embrace.

For his part, Harry's cheeks colored as he gave an embarrassed chuckle, doing his best to return their gestures. "Not used to you two being so touchy-feely," he noted.

Twilight pulled back and jabbed a hoof into his chest. "We missed you, you big goof!" She retorted before assuming a stance that was all too familiar.

Harry caught her gaze, noting the expectant smile and joy in her eyes as she waited for him to take the cue and join in. "You, ah, you still do that, huh?" He stammered, rubbing his fetlock against his shin nervously. "Come on, Twily, we're both adults now, don't you think –"

A tug on his mane cut him off; Harry turned to regard Spike with a look of irritation, and was met with the baby dragon's trademark deadpan.

"Dude, you're gonna do it. You know it, we know it, just get it over with." He prodded, jumping off the stallions back and stepping out of the way so he could take in the full scene he was about to witness.

Grimacing, Harry turned his attention to Twilight again, protests and justifications prepared, but stopped short when he made a crucial mistake:

Harry made the mistake of meeting her gaze again and seeing those big, purple eyes widening, her grin nearly splitting her face in two as she silently prodded him.

_Horseapples_. He couldn't say 'no' to that face and she knew it!

Sighing in defeat, Harry cast his eyes towards the sky, almost as if he were asking his mother's Sun 'why me?' and mirrored her posture. Twilight beamed at him and began prancing in place, with him following along, as they both sang in unison:

"_Sunshine, sunshine!_

_Ladybugs awake!_

_Clap your hooves and_

_Do a little shake!"_

Finishing up with a little shake of his backside one cue with the 'do a little shake' line, Harry couldn't help but check the platform for anypony, his cheeks colored a light red. It was just Twilight, a giggling little drake and he. "I can't believe you and Cady made me learn that!" He grumbled good-naturedly.

"Oh, stop your whining!" She scolded, catching him in another hug. "You know you love it!"

"I love it like a solid buck to the fa– _YIPE_!" He jumped as he felt a sudden pinch on his flank, a bit of his friend's lavender magic still glowing over the area before fading away completely.

Twilight huffed in mock anger. "Jerk!" She shot accusingly, turning and trotting away briskly with her nose in the air, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly as a grin played across her muzzle. "I should write Cadence and tell her that you're making fun of our dance!"

Harry was in front of her, kneeling with hooves clasped together and eyes pleading, just as she knew he would be. "Not that! The last time you told her she dragged me away to talk about," he paused here to shudder theatrically. "Trashy romance novels!"

"Oh, come now! Cadence isn't that bad! If anything, she criticizes them for making love so plastic and forced!"

"That's part of the problem: she doesn't just critique the book, she lectures _me_ about love!"

A bout of snickers managed to escape before Twilight could clamp her lips down and cover them with a hoof, thoroughly ruining her act. "Darn it, Harry!" She swatted him lightly. "Can't I pretend to be mad at you?"

"Well, I'd make a joke about blowing up my lab, but… that happened." He noted awkwardly. Harry stood to full height, just a bit taller than his friend, and smiled sheepishly. "So… I'm not going there again."

Spike jumped on his back and took hold of one of his ears. "Smart move, or else I'd have to give you free piercings, mister!"

"Ack! Spike, _no_! I said I wouldn't!"

"Still isn't something to joke about joking about!" The drake lectured, glaring heatedly and puffing smoke into his friend's black mane. "We were worried sick about you!"

Harry winced as he felt Spike's tiny claws dig into the tip of his ear threateningly. Raised by ponies or not, the little drake mounted on his back still retained quite a bit of his draconic heritage; their sense of honor, their sluggishness in the winter, their innate magic, their hunger, and their hoarding instinct. Though, from what Twilight had written, Spike had moved past hoarding gems and other treasures and managed to slate that desire by placing higher value on something else.

Friendship.

To some it might sound overly cheesy and worthy of scorn, but it worked. Spike valued his friends; he did just about everything he could to help them, even if he might snark at times. His dedication to being 'Twilight Sparkle's Number One Assistant' was evidence of that. Anypony who dared threaten a dragon's hoard was in for an unpleasant experience.

Something that Harry was being reminded of presently. "I'm sorry!" He said sincerely, the conversation with his mother fresh in his mind. "I wasn't thinking when I said… well, I just wasn't thinking when you visited me and -"

A lavender hoof covered his mouth. "Let's… Let's just move past that." The sudden downshift in her tone and posture gave Harry a clear hint that this was still a rather sore subject.

Not that he could really blame her. He'd really managed to buck things up that day.

Harry glanced down at his hooves and nudged Twilight's hoof away from his muzzle. "I want to, but I just… I just wish I hadn't said that stuff. It was stupid and thoughtless and…" Words failed him at this point, leaving Harry to just close the distance and offer an apologetic nuzzle. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Of all the things Twilight and Spike expected from Harry on his first day in Ponyville, this wasn't quite what they'd envisioned.

Yes, both knew that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had given him several stern lectures on his attitude – with one fairly recent one, just before his departure from Canterlot – but this was something new from him.

Much like Twilight prior to her decision to remain in the little town on a more permanent basis, Harry didn't typically engage in emotional, 'touchy-feely' displays in public, unless he'd done something to embarrass them in front of a large crowd; those heartfelt apologies of his were done in private, both due to his aversion to being the center of attention and because he wanted to make sure that it didn't seem like he was putting on some sort of display.

Granted, they were the only ones on the platform, not counting the Royal Guards boarding the train back to Canterlot, but this was still a public space, anypony could see this. This was quite out of character for the adopted prince.

Well, out of character in public. This was very much how most of his apologies went – words always seemed to fail him when he got emotional. She went ahead and dismissed the cynical notion that Harry's little episode was an indication of his being replaced as part of some Changeling conspiracy to take revenge. Such a notion was utterly ridiculous.

A scanning spell showed that he was all pony, no signs of outside influence or inconsistencies with his magic. All it served to do was give Harry a minor headache because the Guard insisted on triple checking his work to make sure that he hadn't been attacked in some manner prior to the attack.

Fortunately, it seemed that Chrysalis left Harry out of the planning, since his form couldn't well be used for infiltration due to his injuries. It would've been quite suspicious for 'Harry' to be up and moving over a year prior to his projected recovery date.

But a Changeling this was not. It was all Harry, from his failing words to the shame filled examination of his own hooves, from sagging shoulders to his nervous tick, Twilight knew these signs and the usual sequence her friend went through.

Next would come the deep breath and big sigh through the snout and – ah, there it is! Big sigh and slow look up, which would then be followed by a lengthy elaboration on how he was wrong and just how he was going to go about being a better pony and learn from his mistakes.

He'd run this race several times in recent letters, so much so that Twilight could probably recite the lines. And, while she appreciated the sentiment and his sincerity, neither she nor Spike wanted Harry to start off his visit on that particular note.

So it came as no surprise when Spike hopped up on Harry's back once again and tugged lightly on his mane to stop him in his tracks. "Dude, come on! Let's move past that stuff and have some fun! No hospitals, no work, no ultra fancy nobles being stuffy whenever you do something 'un-Princely'!"

Harry considered this for a moment, the ban on his research wasn't something he necessarily felt too pleased about, but the other two were definitely on the plus side, though. Two out of three wasn't too bad.

And given that Twilight seemed to be thinking along the same lines as the drake mounted on his back, perhaps letting it go for now would be beneficial. Yes, it had been the subject of his mother's stern lecture and the entire reason that he'd been sent to this little town in the first place, but if he treated it that way…

It would only serve to give his stay a rather bleak start, which would no doubt make the entire thing seem more like a chore than an enjoyable stay with his friend. That would just make everything seem to drag on endlessly.

Which would just make him _more_ miserable and cause the cycle to repeat at infinitum.

They were right, as had become typical of late.

Harry straightened himself up, squaring his shoulders and standing to his full height again. "So," he began. "Care to show me where I'm staying?"

"Not quite yet," Twilight shook her head and turned to lead him out of the station, nodding to the conductor as she went. "There's someplace else you have to visit first."

"What are you – Oh, your library? You must have quite a collection, definitely something worth bragging about, I imagine."

Spike snickered; the stallion always did hate being left out of the loop. "Nope! Not the library!"

"Well, if not there, then where? That sweet shop your friend runs? Sweet Apple Acres? The Palace of the Royal Pony Sisters?"

"No, no and no!" They replied in perfect stereo, with eyes shut and patient smiles on their muzzles as they slipped into a practiced routine.

"Okay, so where?"

"You'll see!"

"Just tell me!"

"Relax! You'll see when we get there!"

"B-But –"

"Harry, all these questions are putting us behind schedule, now come on!"

Harry huffed, pointedly ignoring Spike's snickers and Twilight's horrible attempts to disguise her own laughter as a sudden coughing fit. He was _not_ whining! No matter what they said, he simply wanted to know where they were leading him!

Seriously, he wasn't. Not much, at least.

Who was he kidding? He was totally whining. But they were keeping him in the dark on purpose! Of all the things Twilight was absolutely brilliant at, acting definitely wasn't one of them. At least as far as he was concerned, he could read her pretty well after all these years.

Knowing her as well as Harry did, he also knew that there was no moving her once she made up her mind and was ready to gallop with whatever she was set on. Especially if with his mother's backing.

The alternative source of information would be of no help either, as he didn't have any gemstones on him. Without his usual fee, Spike would keep his mouth shut tight, and with Twilight less than a length away, he had backup.

So, with that said, all Harry could really do was follow along and take in the sights and atmosphere of Ponyville.

Several words that came to mind as what some of the more standoffish nobility and upper class liked to throw around whenever they were trying to be subtle in how they looked down on anypony who wasn't as well off as they: picturesque, quaint, old-world, and 'rustic charm'.

That last phrase in particular was a favorite of Jet Set and Upper Crust, and every time Harry heard them play that card, he considered the benefits of eating a ball of super-heated plasma.

Pro: He would never have to listen to that pair of imbeciles again. Con: There was a chance that his mother knew some sort of spell which would allow her to commune with the dead, so he would endure her fury endlessly. Second con: Luna, Blueblood, Cadence, Shining Armor and Twilight would learn the spell and Twilight would let Spike voice his displeasure. Third con: He'd be dead.

Shaking his head, Harry quickly dismissed those thoughts and reminded himself that it was such thinking that lead to the heated fight with those closest to him, the entire reason he was being sent here for a spell was so that he would _stop_ thinking along those lines.

This was going to take some work.

_Positives, Harry, focus on positives._ He returned his attention to the scene laid out before him and just couldn't help but feel amazed.

Calling Ponyville quaint or rustic would've just been lazy, an insult to the deep cultural roots that were plainly visible in the old architectural style, the dirt road, flattened only by the constant pounding of ponies' hooves on the path, even the presence of an old clock tower.

There were some buildings that stood out: one that held the appearance of a house of sweets and another that was designed to look like a carousel – the famed Carousel Boutique, if he wasn't mistaken – but the rest of the little rural town was designed with a traditional Earth pony style: there was very little flair, but strong foundation, typical of their culture.

Substance over flash, family over individual. Of course, there were some who rebelled against this deep-rooted culture, but such was the case with every race.

After all, one couldn't very well form an accurate opinion on all unicorns based upon the actions of Sombra.

Harry could see why Twilight liked Ponyville so much: it was simple and, yet, so very unique in how that very same simplicity was what made it more than just some other town. They weren't trying to pretend that they lived in the intellectual center of the kingdom.

This town was designed to look exactly as it actually was: a small, rural community.

It was that simplicity that gave Ponyville a sense of its own elegance and unique quality. There wasn't an attempt to imitate the high curving arches of Canterlotian architecture or the high rising buildings of Manehattan, because there just wasn't the need. With such a small population, it made no sense to have those massive, towering structures. With everypony working, it made no sense to focus on making every building some modern marvel. Every house, every shop was designed to serve its function.

… Speaking of working ponies in a rural community, where the hay were they? It wasn't a holiday, and even if it were, there should still be ponies milling about the town square or visiting with one another, Twilight said as much in her letters.

Something was up.

They weren't exactly being subtle about it, either; from Twilight's horrible poker face to Spike's excited fidgeting, Harry didn't have to know them nearly as well as he did to be able to suspect their involvement.

It was a question of _what_ they were planning, not _if_. These two had something in mind, and between their tells and the town being empty, he had a pretty good idea that he was the only one not in on this. But what would involve most of the town being mysteriously absent and him not knowing?

Harry came to a sudden halt. "You've planned something." He surmised, pointing an accusatory hoof in Twilight's direction.

"I plan _everything_," Twilight replied in what she hoped was a casual, innocent manner, though the presence of the uneasy grin on her muzzle negated the effectiveness. "You've known me for ten years, Harry – this shouldn't be news!"

"Yes, but _this_ isn't your normal planning! You haven't consulted a checklist once since I've been here, you mentioned something about being thrown off schedule – again, without pulling out a physical copy for emphasis – and you refuse to tell me just _what in Equestria I'm making us late for_! And what's more, we haven't seen anypony since leaving the platform. I know this is a small town, but your letters describe one with ponies constantly milling about. You, Twilight Sparkle, are up to something!"

The irritated scientist stepped forward, his heated gaze making Twilight retreat a pace as she tried to think of something to appease him.

Dealing with an angry or annoyed Harry required a bit of finesse; you couldn't just say 'oh, don't worry about it' because he'd do just that – worry about _anything and everything_ that 'it' could be.

A trait they both shared.

And then would come his reaction to what 'it' was, which, in this case, was a party; a party where the entire population of Ponyville was gathered to welcome and pay specific attention to him. _That_ wouldn't go over well.

It wasn't that he didn't like a party with his friends and family and various members of the Royal Guards, rather, it was the _size_ of the party. He didn't like crowds, he felt awkward meeting new ponies, and he especially hated it when the attention shifted to him.

Lectures, he could deal with because more of the attention was on the subject matter than the socially awkward son of Celestia, but Harry just couldn't stand those inevitable moments when Canterlot's socialites would shine their spotlight on whatever corner he was hiding in or find some way to separate him from his family. Harry hated that.

Harry didn't like playing political games – that was mother, Aunt Luna and cousin Blueblood's court. He hated when some random social climber would walk up and throw their hoof around his withers like they were old friends and try chatting him up about whatever mind-numbingly mundane law they were trying to slip through the Day and Night Courts for their own gain, or that of their inner circle.

Not to mention how much being touched by those new ponies bothered him…

Which reminded her, they needed to find a way to help him deal with that, preferably sooner than later.

Twilight weighed her options, neither looking particularly good at the moment: either continue leaving Harry in the dark and let him fret about it or tell him and convince him before he plopped himself down and stubbornly refused to move.

Ever tried to move a unicorn as magically proficient as Harry, especially one that can deconstruct magical auras at a rate nearly as quickly as Twilight could cast? It's not easy. It's like trying to catch a minnow with bare hooves.

Of course, that wasn't accounting for Harry's retaliatory casting – usually nothing too over the top, but spells to annoy so that her concentration would break long enough to escape or turn the tables. As fun as a magical spar was, it would have to wait for later.

Actually, that wasn't a bad idea at all! It would be a good way to gauge just how well Harry's magical rehab had been. She'd have to make a note to do that later.

Right now though, she had a decision to make: either deal with Harry's stubborn refusal to move until he knew about the party, after which he'd refuse to go. Or tell him up front and deal with Harry's refusal to go, which would then be followed by his refusal to move.

_Haystack and balefire, this is going to be a pain in the flank_. Twilight grumbled inwardly. Convincing Harry to attend parties always was.

Unless… _That_ could work.

Twilight sighed deeply, using the calming breathing technique she'd learned from Cadence to prepare herself to let the horseshoe fall, and leveled her gaze at the grumpy young stallion. "They're at the party," she admitted proudly.

"Of all the haphazard excuses I've ever – wait." Harry stopped short, his glare giving way to a wide-eyed nervous stare. "A-A party, you say?" He stammered, nervously rubbing his leg. "W-What exactly are they celebrating? Some sort of local event? A cultural holiday or some sort of –"

"It's for you, dude." Spike cut in. "It's your extra special 'Welcome to Ponyville' party; planned and organized by Twi and Pinkie Pie, Ponyville's self-proclaimed and undisputed premier party pony."

"M-Me?! No! No, no, no, no, no! That was – Who in – I didn't agree to that! How did they even know I was coming?!"

"C'mon, dude, you know the answer to that, Princess Celestia told the mayor back when she had your house built."

"She had to," Twilight threw in. "After all, she can't just randomly commission construction work without explaining what it's for, especially when it's going to house a member of the Royal Family."

Harry's posture slumped as the pieces started to come together; yes, his mother would have to notify local authorities when building living quarters for the Royal Family, so that accommodations could be built and inspected appropriately. The problem with that was that they tended to go overboard unless specifically told what the future owner wanted.

Though his mother did have a tendency to tease, she wouldn't go overboard with his home. A lavish home in a small town would draw attention – well, more attention.

But still, she told the mayor – which meant the information was public knowledge. And the presence of royalty coupled with public knowledge, factoring in a welcoming party…

Meant other ponies, _a lot of other ponies_!

"Nope!" Harry shook his head, back peddling quickly and very nearly knocking Spike off his perch with the sudden movement. "Nope, nope, nope! Too many ponies! I am not going! No way, no how!"

He gagged a bit as Spike's tiny arms struggled to hold onto his neck. "Hey, watch it!" The little drake protested. "Calm the hay down! It's not that big a deal!"

Spike's calls went unheeded as he found himself caught in Harry's green aura and levitated so that he floated in front of the frantic prince. "Not a big deal? _Not a big deal?!_ Spike, you both just said the _entire town_ is at this party! That's a lot of ponies! And a lot of attention! And – And everypony looking at me, focused on me and – and –"

Once again, he found himself cut off by Twilight's hoof lightly pressing against his muzzle. Manipulating his head, she forced Harry to meet her gaze. "Yes, there will be a fair number of ponies here, but you, Harry Morningstar, are going to pony up and go!"

His tan furred cheeks colored at the nickname she tacked on. "_Twily_! That's not my name!"

"To nearly everypony in Equestria, it might as well be. Deal with it! And don't change the subject, you're going!"

"But –"

"No! No buts! No negotiating! This is something we're getting past _now_! I know the nobles bother you, but these ponies are nicer and more sincere in how friendly they are."

Harry grumbled something unintelligible, likely something about how utterly ridiculous it was to force him into this and expect him to just be perfectly okay with it all, which Twilight would have sympathized with a few years ago.

Before she was forced out of her comfort zone and specifically told to make friends.

He was rubbing his leg again, looking away and mumbling to himself. "I'm not sure, Twily…"

No time to waste! She went in for the kill! Leaning forward to nuzzle his cheek Twilight dropped her voice to a whisper. "I know you don't like crowds or meeting new ponies, but this is part of what Princess Celestia sent you here for, Harry! She wants you to get out and make friends, just like she made me. Just try! Give the ponies here a chance, I promise you won't regret it."

Harry fidgeted, still unsure of whether or not he actually could go through with this. Yes, it made sense. _Yes_, this was exactly what his mother would want him to do. But… Still…

_So many new ponies. So much attention…_

He pulled away from Twilight's nuzzle to voice his concern, but found himself unable to as he looked into her deep violet irises. She was giving him the look again, that expectant look, but this time with something else. This time her eyes showed her desire to share her friends, her new home, with him.

There was only one answer. "Alright," he acquiesced with a sigh, floating Spike onto his prior position again with a mumbled apology. "I'll try."

* * *

Twilight could sit everypony down and tell them about how shy Harry was until she was blue in the face, but she couldn't undo what years of gossip columns had done in establishing the reputation of 'Prince Morningstar'.

Truth be told, this was somewhat caused by Gilda's visit a couple of years ago; the girls – minus Pinkie and Fluttershy – initially took Rainbow's assurances that Gilda was 'cool' rather than listen to Pinkie's opinion based on several interactions with the rather rude griffon. The incident lead to a bit of questioning as to whether or not they thought on other friends, who they wished to introduce to the others, with rose-tinted glasses – they tried to make them seem more likeable or more down-to-earth, as it would seem Twilight tried to do with Harry.

Ponies by nature were very social creatures, as part of their herd dynamic they liked to gossip and spread information about certain things to one another so nopony was left out of the loop and at risk. Each race still held onto some of the cultural remnants of the old tribes – pegasi preferred to call it a 'flock' rather than a 'herd', for example – but the message of strength and prosperity through unity was key.

With that in mind, ponies loved to talk about the Royal Family, both to spread the news of how gracious they were or weren't and to engage in the guilty pleasure of their own fantasies, living the vicarious, fairy-tale lifestyle through them.

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadence, as she preferred, held the eye of nearly every stallion with a brain and a pulse, but had been taken off the market by Captain Shining Armor. Funnily enough, the good Captain, in turn, had no shortage of admirers of his own, so their matrimony broke the hearts of stallions and mares alike.

Hay, there were _still_ some who fantasized about those two, despite all indications that their marriage was as close to 'happily ever after' as one could seemingly be – Sombra's attempted assault on the Crystal Empire standing as the only real black spot.

And, as part of the Royal Family, Harry wasn't exempt from this attention - well, as Prince Morningstar, that is.

No matter how much he tried to avoid it, Harry captured just as much attention, if not more, _because_ of how little information there was about him.

Of course, quite a bit of it stemmed from his status, but Harry didn't do much to help his reputation as some sort of mysterious prince when nearly every newspaper and gossip column under the Sun featured a picture of him off to the side whenever he was at some party, with only his family or his thoughts for company.

His tendency to do so had been romanticized to an almost ridiculous degree over the years, giving many a mare and filly false hopes of one day meeting this quiet genius of a stallion and catching his eye.

It was this image that many of Ponyville's inhabitants were still struggling to discard in favor of Twilight's version of the Prince. Rarity was solidly in this camp, as she had been following those very same Canterlot Insider columns for years as a means of getting the big scoop on what was 'in' with the ponies of the capitol city. As for the others…

They were more excited that they were actually going to meet the genuine article than anything, and, much to her dismay, held no interest in discussing just how much their dear Twilight Sparkle's description of Prince Harry just didn't fit! Rainbow Dash and Applejack, she had long since given up on sharing any sort of gossip with, as they liked to make their own judgments; though both did seem to share an interest in just how 'un-Prince-like' he was. Fluttershy, her usual gossip buddy, didn't seem to be in the mood for a discussion, she was trying to block out her own anxiety by listening to the aforementioned duo. In her mind, as long as she didn't think about Princess Celestia's son or how mean or scary he _could_ possibly be, she wouldn't panic.

Rarity felt it best to leave her ever-shy friend to it, best if she were comfortable so she didn't inadvertently do something to embarrass herself. The poor dear would never live it down!

She wouldn't even bother with Pinkie Pie; that was a headache she wouldn't wish on anypony!

Pinkie was 'in the know' as far as what ponies liked, but she didn't _do_ high society; she did parties, bigger and louder than anypony this side of Manehattan. As far as she was concerned, 'royalty' just meant that the party had to be "super-duper, extra special fun!"

Gossip and Pinkie went together like oil and water.

Speaking of the hyperactive party mare, she had just zipped over to look out the window for what had to be the fifth time in the last minute, trying her best to remain hidden as she peered out in search of the Canterlot trio. A loud, over exaggerated gasp, coupled with the fact that the mare was seemingly – and, sadly enough, entirely normal for Pinkie – vibrating drew all attention and brought some of the excited chatter to a screeching halt.

"_They're coming! They're coming! They're coming!_" She sang, bouncing higher with each repetition.

Her bouncing was brought to an abrupt halt by Rainbow Dash grabbing her and forcibly placing her back down on the ground. "Pinks, stow the bouncing for a bit. Twi said ease up and tone it down a couple notches for Harry, remember?"

"Ooh, but I can't, Dashie! He's _actually_ here! I'm just so excited – are you excited? – I just feel so excited I might explo – _wait a minute_!" Pinkie stopped abruptly as a thought occurred to her. "Everypony! Hide! We've gotta give Prince Harry-berry the biggest, most spectacular surprise party ever!"

"Pinkie, hang on and listen," Applejack saw this going south pretty quickly. "Remember what Twi said, Sugarcube: Harry don't like big parties much, so she wants to ease 'im into it. Ah'm 'fraid that means no surprises."

"But –"

Rainbow cut her off before she could hit her stride. "Pinks, chill! So one big 'welcome' party isn't a surprise! If Harry's as shy as Twilight and Spike say, then just give him this one as a freebie and hit him with a big surprise party later – hay, give him a big one for, I dunno, getting settled into his house or something! Just… let this one go for now, 'kay!"

Pinkie Pie frowned, her friends were being _really_ insistent on this! But that didn't make much sense for them to be offering party advice – parties were her thing; her special talent! They were her Cutie Mark, for Celestia's sake! Plus, tradition was on the line here:

Whenever a new pony came to Ponyville, Pinkie threw them a surprise party. Not a 'hey, you're new here, so I'm gonna throw you a party later and we'll all have a lot of fun' party, a surprise party – that was key.

The guest of honor wasn't supposed to know the party was taking place until they got there, so their reaction was more genuine and the effort that everypony who helped her plan it was more special.

It was their chance to show just how happy they were to have a newcomer in their midst.

Still, there were exceptions to this. The townsponies found out just how shy and easily frightened Fluttershy was during her welcoming party. It had taken ages for Applejack to coax her out of her room with promises that there would be no more loud noises or ponies jumping out at her.

Pinkie had been savvy enough to read the cues and quickly banned any and all noisemakers to ensure that the meek pegasus would be at ease.

She sighed heavily; her friends seemed dead set on making this point. Twilight said that Harry was rather shy and really didn't like big parties all that much because of the crowds.

As much as she hated to do this, they did make a good point: it would hardly be a special party, tailor made for Prince Harry if she didn't think about what _he_ liked or disliked. "Change in plans, everypony!" She called out. "No yelling 'Surprise' at Prince Harry-berry today!"

Several ponies exchanged looks and gave a silent nod to Time Turner, who rolled his eyes and ducked out from under Derpy's wing, giving her a quick nuzzle as an apology for breaking from her embrace, and trotted over to the window. With a quick look outside, he returned to the group, shaking his head and confirming that the sky was, in fact, _not_ falling. Pinkie Pie actually wanted a party without a bunch of loud noises.

When was the last time she had organized a party like this – oh, wait, Fluttershy's birthday. So, not all that long ago, but still rare enough to draw attention.

Murmured conversation came to a halt as an almost musical tinkling, the telltale sign of unicorn magic, echoed from the doorway as the knob was engulfed in a magenta aura; the large red door was pulled open from the outside, revealing two familiar forms standing beside one that could only be that of their long-awaited visitor.

How to describe him? He was certainly well groomed and handsome, his coat was a healthy tan and his mane, though a bit ruffled, was brushed back out of his face, allowing them a to see the stunning emerald eyes behind clear-rimmed, rectangular glasses. He stood just a bit taller than his fellow unicorn friend, though the way he ducked his head as soon as he realized that all eyes were on him made that a bit difficult to see at first glance. The young prince gave the ponies a nervous, almost coltish smile, cheeks coloring in embarrassment. Twilight rolled her eyes at Harry's hesitance and lightly nudged him forward.

The tan-coated stallion shuffled his hooves slightly, eyes darting left and right as he seemed to count just how many ponies had showed up to meet him.

Rarity quickly glanced around, noticing that nopony had even made an attempt to properly greet their guest. With a sigh and flick of her well-groomed mane, Ponyville's fashionista trotted forward, stopping just short of the young prince and bowing her head. "Welcome to our humble town, Prince Harry," she spoke, holding out her alabaster hoof.

He flinched, drawing back slightly and tensing as he stared at the offered appendage. Rarity raised a brow and gave her hoof a quick once over, checking for any blemishes. No, that couldn't be it – Aloe and Lotus had given her a hooficure yesterday – and she hadn't tread through any mud recently.

Rarity's frantic inner monologue was broken when Harry lifted his own hoof and grasped hers. "Yes, it's… er… wonderful to finally be here," he replied as they shook hooves. "Twilight's told me a few stories about your town. Quite the – ah – lively place, I hear, Miss… err…"

Maybe she was reading a bit too much into this; yes, that was it. She'd simply caught him off guard; Twilight did mention that he was a rather shy stallion, after all. Well, that was fine for now.

Everypony would just have to help him open up and see just how lovely their beloved Ponyville was!

Oh! And she had yet to introduce herself properly! How rude!

"Apologies, Prince Morning – I mean, Prince Harry! My name is Rarity, owner and proprietor of the Carousel Boutique. And, yes, Ponyville can get a bit hectic at times, but I'm sure you'll find it to your liking once you've settled in and familiarized yourself with everything, Your Highness."

Harry gave a low groan. "Just Harry will suffice, Miss Rarity. Really. And actually that goes for – oh," he stopped short just as his reminded himself how many ponies were watching.

"Err… H-Hello, everypony," he stammered, Twilight and Spike hastily turned away so that he couldn't see their poorly hidden grins.

This was so very typical of Harry. Meeting new ponies just never came easy; Twilight could still vividly remember how frightened he had been when they first met. How upset he'd been when she pressed him, demanding to know just how there could possibly be _two_ direct students of Princess Celestia.

Not one of her prouder moments.

That was ten years ago. Believe it or not, he'd gotten better, now he just had that stammer and a few nervous ticks. But now, Harry had another problem – well, most stallions wouldn't consider it a problem. Though she had no romantic inclinations towards her S.B.B.F.F., Twilight Sparkle could appreciate the fact that he was quite handsome. And coupled with that shy demeanor of his…

Well, a glance at some of Ponyville's single mares told her all she needed to know: bringing a cute stallion like Harry to town was like levitating a gemstone in front of Spike.

The gleam in Rarity's eyes didn't go unnoticed either, though the sideways glance and sly grin on the alabaster mare's muzzle was a bit concerning. That was Rarity's gossip look, the one she only used when she had or smelt some juicy little secret that she wanted.

"Your Highness – oh, forgive me! – Harry, dear, we can exchange stories later, you simply must meet your subjects! We've all waited eagerly to meet you!" Rarity stepped to the side and gestured to the crowd of ponies.

"A – Ah, yes! I suppose that would be prudent. Perhaps you and Twilight might…"

"Of course, darling! Of course!" She fell into step on Harry's left, with Twilight and Spike on his right.

Which reminded her to make a mental note: corner Twilight later and squeeze every detail out of her about the cute stallion she'd kept hidden away in Canterlot.

Hmm, but how? Spa session with Fluttershy acting as backup? Have Pinkie badger her into submission? Set Applejack and Rainbow Dash on her with their sly, little remarks?

She'd decide later. For now, there was royalty to escort!

Rarity did her very best to stifle the '_squee_' that threatened to escape her lips…

Twilight took the lead, a move that Rarity might typically object to in meet-and-greet scenarios, but one she conceded given the pony in question. This party was a combination of Pinkie's expertise and Twilight's skills in organizing ponies and duties and her knowledge of her foalhood friend.

Thus, she was, essentially, the hostess; it was her right to introduce her fellow student to the townsponies in whichever manner she deemed fit.

Hopefully, everything would go smoothly and nopony would end up embarrassing the town in front of their visitor. All they had to do was have a nice, normal meeting between Prince Harry, various individual townsponies, her sister's club, and her remaining friends.

…

Celestia have mercy on her son's soul.


	5. Meet the Friends

_Flinch_. _Wince._

"Hello, Prince – oops! – Hello, Harry! I'm Golden Harvest, I'm a local carrot farmer!"

Harry really didn't like meet-and-greets; he always ended up reverting to his practiced 'Royal Family' mannerisms as the nerves kicked in. "Wonderful to meet you, Miss Harvest," he replied to the grinning, orange-coated mare, raising his own hoof to hers and giving what he hoped was an adequately firm shake. "I'm sure I'll have a chance to sample your product."

Before he could so much as blink, there was another pony in front of him, raising a hoof in front of him –

_Flinch_. _Wince._

No, stop that! She just wanted a hoofshake! Just a bloody hoofshake! He could do this! He _would _do this.

"Nice to meet you, Harry! I'm Colgate, Ponyville's dentist!" A blue-coated mare with a dual toned, white and blue, mane chirped, an innocent, happy smile on her face as she waited for him to return the gesture.

She hadn't noticed, or so he hoped. Just keep smiling and shake her hoof. Pretend nothing is wrong. "A pleasure, Miss Colgate – rather, it's Dr. Colgate, isn't it? My mistake, I apologize. I do hope your practice is doing well." Harry winced as he felt the sting from Spike's claws flicking against his side.

"Dude, official visit talk off!" Spike hissed out of the corner of his mouth. "You're supposed to relax and have fun!"

Harry snorted; yes, yes, he knew all that! "Easier said than done!" He shot back, just low enough so the other ponies wouldn't hear. "You know I don't like crowds or surprise parties – this is both!"

"Think of it like it's one of our old math puzzles and adapt," Twilight interjected sternly. "You're going to socialize, you're going to enjoy yourself and, with Celestia as my witness, _you will make friends other than us!_"

"Err… Yes, Twily," There was no arguing with her, especially when she gave him that look; the very same one she always wore when she deemed an argument over. Or, more importantly…

The very same look from the hospital room…

In fairness, both Spike and Twilight made good points: he needed to loosen up, difficult though that may be. His little habit of defaulting to his rehearsed, almost detached manner of speaking wouldn't do him any favors in accomplishing any of the goals his mother had set – which would only prolong her ban on his continued research.

_Oh, why does this have to be so bloody difficult?_ Harry lamented as yet another pony rushed up to meet him, thrusting a hoof at him with eyes wide as he excitedly introduced himself as Lucky Clover.

_Flinch. Wince._

Blast it! Why couldn't he get over this? It was just a hoofshake! This made it rather difficult to fulfill his mother's conditions, not to mention how it much it bothered her that he just couldn't seem to shake that little problem. And Twilight noticed – how could she not?

His reactions today were only marginally better than when his mother had introduced him to a Twilight back when she was just a tiny bibliophilic filly – but then, he had at least matured past the stage where he would hid behind his mother's legs in hopes that nopony noticed the light brown blur which had suddenly darted from its place at her side.

A sudden growth spurt had negated the effectiveness of that tactic years ago.

He would get through this! He would meet this next pony's gaze and –

_Flinch. Wince._

Recoil at the hoof being offered. Again.

"Harry, this way!" Twilight exclaimed, pushing him towards a group of four mares. "These are my friends – the ones I told you about in the letters, remember?"

Emerald eyes took in their appearances; Twilight had been very descriptive in her letters, as she was with every written report he'd ever seen in the time he'd known her. As usual, she was spot on. Three mares grinned or smirked at him, while one seemed to smile awkwardly and shrink in on herself, as if trying to hide from him.

He did feel slightly bad about taking solace that he wasn't the only shy pony in the room.

_Let's see. Earth pony, orange coat and pulled back blonde mane, light green eyes, wearing a Stetson, with an trio of apples Mark; Earth pony cotton candy pink coat and poofy mane, bright blue eyes, three balloons of different colors Mark; Pegasus, butter yellow coat and long, straight brushed pink mane, blue eyes, three butterflies Mark; Pegasus, cyan coat, windswept rainbow mane, cerise eyes and a cloud and tricolor lightning bolt Mark. _

And of course, Rarity, the pony with an alabaster coat and vivid purple mane, who was hailed as an innovative fashion designer by Twilight and most of his family, then he was standing in front of her friends, the famed Bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

Harry knew these ponies – well, he knew _of_ them. Secondhand knowledge coming from his family could only tell him so much about them.

A sudden flash of pink near the orange-coated mare's foreleg drew Harry's attention slightly downward… to what could only be described as three of the most adorable fillies he'd ever seen.

An Earth pony, a pegasus and a unicorn, each beaming up at him through wide, innocent eyes. They seemed quite small, perhaps a couple years younger than Spike. Additionally telling of their age was their distinct lack of Cutie Marks – they were somewhere around nine or ten, still in primary school.

Wait. Three fillies, one of each race, each lacking Cutie Marks. Weren't they – yes, two of them were little sisters of Element Bearers and one was an 'honorary sibling' – which made them the very same fillies who were always getting into some manner of trouble in their search for their special talents.

What was the name again?

Harry gave himself a mental smack to right his train of thought; he could figure that out later. Actually, he could just plain ask during introductions. Yes, that's it! This was his chance to start working on his social interactions and get past those pesky fears of his!

This was it! Time to make a good impression! Harry took a deep breath and steeled himself to get through this round without any of his usual stammering or flinching. "Y-Yes," _Horseapples._ "I recall you mentioning them in a few of your letters. I'm – err – I'm delighted to finally meet you all!" Harry smiled, visibly and internally; he couldn't keep from stuttering and fumbling over his words, but he at least got his message across. It was a start. "My name is –"

"Ah don't think there's a pony in this town who ain't heard yer name, Sugarcube!" The orange-coated mare spoke, her country twang giving Harry another telling hint to her identity. Grinning broadly, she held her hoof out to him – _Flinch. Wince._ "Name's Applejack, nice ta finally ya, Yer Highness; Twi's told us quite a bit about ya."

_Stop it. _"I do believe I've heard of your family, Miss Applejack. They were integral in Ponyville's founding, the original farm stands on the outskirts of this town today, correct?"

As much as Applejack's face brightened up, Harry could've sworn she was doing her best impersonation of his mother's sun. "Sure as the grey in mah Granny Smith's mane! Sweet Apple Acres is alive, kickin' an' growin' the finest apples in the land, Yer Highness!"

"I've heard as much! And, please, just call me Harry. Really," he chuckled nervously and continued, turning focus to a completely different issue. "As for Twily's stories, I – err – I assure you she exaggerates: my coat was nowhere near as bright a shade of orange as she claims."

Harry's ear flicked, picking up two sets of snickers from his purple furred and scaled friends, he caught sight of Twilight opening her mouth to counter his claim, but she was beaten to the punch.

"Pics!" The cotton candy pink mare cried, giggling and bouncing in place. "I demand pictures of Prince Harry-berry Morningstar as Prince Harry-berry Morningstar the Orange! Otherwise, it didn't happen!"

In unison, the rest of the group heaved a sigh, closing their eyes and bringing hooves to their foreheads. Pinkie simply blinked, smiling and waiting for a response.

Harry's mouth worked, no sounds came out as he failed to find words to properly reply to this mare. _Wait a minute…_ "Harry-berry?" He asked voice tinged with confusion as he tilted his head to the side.

"Yup!" She chirped, bouncing forward to stand within hoof's reach. "You're Prince 'Please don't call me Prince' Harry-berry-wary-merry-very-parry Morningstar! But nicknames are supposed to be fun and easy to say – yours is fun, but way too long to say! So, since it takes way to long to say all that, even though saying all that is super duper fun, I shortened it! So, now, you're Harry-berry Morningstar!"

… Was there really any way to respond to that without either looking like an utter jerk or inviting more of this mare's silliness?

"Pinks, what did we say about toning it down?" The prismatic-maned pegasus deadpanned. "Pretty sure we agreed on that."

"But Dashie! It's just so fun to say! Watch! Harry-berry – MMPH!" A cyan hoof jammed a cupcake into her mouth, silencing her for a brief moment as she paused long enough to swallow the sugary treat whole. "Oh, right! Woopsie-daisy! Sorry, Harry-berry! I'm Pinkie Pie! Wanna be friends? Oh, please say yes, I really wanna be friends, because Twilight says you're really fun and friendly and funny once you stop being all 'eepy' and shy! Speaking of – MMPH!"

"How about you let him get a word in, Pinkie?" This time keeping her hoof firmly planted against her friend's muzzle, 'Dashie' turned her attention to Harry. "Name's Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in all of Equestria! Now, hurry up and answer or she'll keep going."

"I - That is to say – Err," He turned to Twilight for advice and received a single nod in reply. Well, if she said so. "Yes, Pinkie, I would -" Even with her mouth covered, Harry could see the grin spreading across her muzzle. Recalling Twilight's letters, he inwardly winced. She was the lively one of the bunch. "I would be happy to be your friend."

No amount of forewarning from Twilight's many letters could've prepared Harry for Pinkie's reaction. She was there, standing in front of him with that muzzle-splitting grin and wide, blue eyes.

And then, he blinked.

The space that Pinkie had previously occupied was suddenly empty, Harry's eyes bulged comically as he felt a strong pair of hooves wrap around his barrel, lift him onto his hind legs, and squeeze him tight, pushing the air out of his lungs with the force of her hug.

Pinkie whooped and smooshed her cheek against his, squealing happily and babbling about all the 'super-duper fun' they would have, but it was all lost on the stallion trapped in her grasp.

Harry's body went rigid, his muscles tensed as his brain managed to catch up with the phenomena known commonly as 'Pinkie Pie' and came to a realization: she was touching him! _A new pony was touching him, invading his little bubble and squeezing so tight it hurt!_

Fortunately, Twilight, having anticipated that Pinkie might give into her urges at some point, moved before he could start freaking out, catching hold of the excitable mare in her telekinetic field and prying her off the stunned stallion. "Pinkie, off!" She scolded. Dropping Pinkie in between Applejack and Rarity, where the sheepish party pony was chastised for blatantly ignoring the 'tone it down, he's shy' agreement, Twilight placed a comforting hoof on her friend's shoulder.

She could feel how he tensed up, his muscles strained, leaving his posture very stiff; Twilight didn't need to check to see if her friends had noticed, really, who wouldn't?

Harry had completely frozen up.

"Harry, breathe!" She gently ordered, slipping her hoof up closer to his withers and rubbing in slow circles. "Relax."

There was a moment of silence, the townsponies watched in stunned silence, waiting to see what the near catatonic Harry would do.

His brain finally managed to catch up. _Froze up again, it was just a hug. Stupid. Loosen up! Relax! I know who she is! Twilight always said she was friendly and loved to hug! Just breathe!_

Inhaling deeply, closing his eyes and going his happy place, Harry brought his hoof to his chest, as if manually steadying his own heartbeat; a rather effective relaxation technique that Cadence taught him during his foalhood.

_Deep inhale, hold, and deep exhale._ _Repeat._

Okay. Heart rate was back to normal; he didn't feel so stiff, no more panic! Good, very good.

Pinkie Pie was just hugging him, and while it was a very tight hug that did forcibly squeeze the air from his lungs, the intent was just a show of Ponyville's resident prankster-slash-party throwing pony giving into her urges to show affection and joy.

To her, this was nothing new, based on Twilight's letters; Pinkie made friends with everypony new to Ponyville. Since he fell into that category, Harry _should_ have been able to deal with one simple, little hug from the nice, perky, _new_, _unfamiliar_ mare.

Balefire. This was always so difficult! Whatever, the damage had been done; there was no going back on this little faux pas.

All he could do was straighten up, adjust his glasses and try to do damage control.

"I'm fine," Harry finally managed to get out. "Just… just a bit startled there."

"Why?" Pinkie asked, her mane seeming to deflate like a balloon. "It was only a hug!"

"It's nothing, really, you just caught me by surprise with that and –"

She cut him off, speaking in a low, sad tone. "But you said we could be friends! And I thought friends liked hugs…" Pinkie trailed off, hanging her head and turning away from Harry. "I'm sorry… I was just so excited to make a new friend that I thought… I'm sorry, I just assumed it was okay." Her posture slumped, those perky ears pinned back; Pinkie began to walk away from the group, looking for a quiet spot to be alone with her thoughts.

"Whoa, hold up, Pinks!" Rainbow called, swooping over to land in front of her. "We, ah, we never said you had to leave!" She threw a hoof over the saddened mare's withers and tried to steer her back towards the group, but found that a bit more difficult than anticipated – Pinkie could be rather stubborn when she put her mind to something. "Just take it down a notch, remember? Like a solid nine out of ten on the Pinkie Pie scale!"

Harry bit his bottom lip, inwardly berating himself. _Stupid, stupid, stupid! Just a hug!_ This was not how he envisioned his first meeting with Twilight's friends!

Granted, he envisioned it in a much more subdued setting, but that had been thrown out the window in favor of a party – still, he had to appreciate the effort on their part. In fact, Spike had specifically mentioned that, besides Twilight, Pinkie was the biggest contributor to this entire affair.

And he had just tacitly rejected her thanks to his own stupid issues!

Harry raised a hoof to stop Twilight from stepping forward and trying to clean up his messes, yet again. He could fix this. He would fix this.

Channeling magic through his horn, Harry vanished in a flash of green magic, reappearing just in front of Pinkie and Rainbow.

Seeing the downtrodden expression, the tears welling up in those bright blue eyes, he rubbed his foreleg and looked slightly away; Harry was never good with crying ponies, especially when he was the root cause. That she was initially so outwardly excited to meet him and make friends only added to the oh-so-familiar feeling of guilt.

Chestnut ears pinned back; all that talk about taking other ponies' feelings only a few hours ago and he already had a mare upset.

_Eat your heart out, Blueblood._

"Pinkie – err," Harry mumbled, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye and visibly wincing when she aimed those watery baby blues his way. That just wasn't fair. "I – oh, hayseed – what I mean is… oh, blast it, I'm no good at this – Pinkie, it's not you, it's me and I'm sorry."

Pinkie sniffled, brushing a hoof across her cheek to shoo away her tears, her pointed ears perked up, a silent show of giving Harry her full attention. She wanted him to say more.

Sighing heavily, he took a cautious step forward, deliberately ignoring the little voice, now a shrill scream, in the back of his head, demanding that he maintain a respectable distance of half a length while making his apology. Yes, half a length of separation would be quite lovely right about now!

Giving his imaginary self a quick mental buck to the face, Harry stopped in front of Pinkie, easily within hoof's reach, and offered his right hoof to her. "Yes, Pinkie, I am your friend."

One blink; Pinkie's expression stayed frozen in place as her mind began to piece together the implications behind his action. A second; those big blue eyes widened to almost impossible proportions. Harry could almost _feel_ the air shift as she took in a large gasping breath. And a third…

She sprang into the air, happily squealing and babbling at a speed comparable only to the manner in which his mother and aunt could devour cake.

A feat Harry would truly have been in awe of had this mare not been showing signs of a repeat of prior events. Sure enough, Pinkie Pie made to leap forward and sweep him up into another hug!

_Flinch. Wince._

Horseapples! Harry closed his eyes, berating himself for once again failing to control that stupid fear of his. All that effort to compose himself enough to step forward and talk and he _still_ managed to make a right mess of it!

He waited, expecting either the sudden crushing hug or the sound of Pinkie's crying that he'd turned right around and rejected her _again_ after firmly claiming that he was her friend.

Nothing. There was no telltale sniffling, no cracked lungs. Harry opened one eye, cautiously checking to see if Pinkie was just delaying for whatever reason had flitted through that bubblegum pink maned head.

Instead, she was just standing in place; no bouncing, no giggling, no great big gasp, just standing in place with a small, understanding smile on her face. Pinkie reached forward – _Flinch. Wince._ – and grasped his hoof, ignoring his little habit in favor of resolving the issue.

She must have noticed Harry's confusion, for Pinkie winked at him and leaned in to whisper to him, ignoring the flinch again. "If I can wait until Hearth's Warming to open presents, I can wait to give you more 'best friend forever hugs', Harry-berry!"

Releasing a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, Harry returned her smile, albeit a bit shakily. _More hugs like that one?_

No! Don't lose it! Mother wanted him to get out and meet ponies, to get out of his comfort zone and make some friends.

"I – err – look forward to it," he did his best hesitate, but some of Twilight's stories concerning this mare involved some rather _interesting_ antics, not to mention whatever a 'Pinkie Sense' was.

She was different… but a good different, if Twilight was to be believed.

Though the million bit smile she aimed at him did make him wonder a bit, but he brushed that off just as excitement at making a new friend. It certainly fit.

Pinkie's ears pricked up, she looked over her shoulder and quickly back at Harry, repeating the action a few times, her smile widening with each turn. "Oh. My. _Gosh!_" Without warning she bounded over the butter yellow pegasus, who squeaked in surprise at suddenly having attention drawn to her, and pushed her toward the staring prince. "You still haven't met Fluttershy! You two can be shy buddies!"

Both ponies ducked their heads and turned away from one another, cheeks flushing at the round of giggles that Pinkie's comment garnered.

Not that either could really argue, she did have a point. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry took note of Fluttershy's posture; ears slightly tilted back, head ducked and shoulders hunched, wings tense and ready to spring out and take flight, this wasn't one of the stony-faced members of the pegasi branch of the Royal Guard, a Wonderbolt or the army.

A pegasus with wings flared out was ready for a fight; one with wings raised and tense was about to flee.

There was a small part of him that took solace in not being the only pony with social anxiety issues, though she seemed to relax more easily than he, letting her wings fold naturally against her sides and turning to face him fully.

"Uh-umm…. H-hello," Her voice was soft, just barely above a whisper. Harry had to turn and deliberately prick his ears up in order to follow her. "It's, um, very nice to meet you, Harry."

"Err, yes, likewise," Harry wracked his brain, trying to think of something to improve upon his introductions. His interaction with Applejack and Rarity had gone quite a bit better than the attempt with Pinkie; perhaps following that model would be prudent. "I believe my mother mentioned that you care for animals, is that right?"

Posture shifted again; ears perked up high and downy feathers twitched excitedly as a bright smile crossed her muzzle. "Y-Yes! I care for all my animal friends, even other ponies' pets when they get sick or need to be looked after while their owners are out of town!"

_Mental note: find interest and open with that. _"That sounds interesting! You must have met many animals, living in a town so close to the Everfree Forest."

"Oh, very many!" She nodded happily. "My cottage is on the outskirts of town, near the edge of the forest, so I get a lot of visits from some of the more friendly animals quite often!"

"And some of the not-so-friendly, too!" Rainbow chimed in. "I've seen this mare tame grizzly bears and manticores and even make full-grown dragons cry!"

Harry's jaw nearly hit the floor. "_That was you?_" He gaped at the blushing mare, who scuffed her hoof against the wooden floor. "I heard a bit of that story, but how did you manage _that_?"

"She scolded 'im like a naughty lil' foal," Applejack put in slyly, sidling up next to her embarrassed friend. "An' with yer momma as mah witness, that dragon burst inta tears and went flyin' off like a bat outta Tartarus!"

Yellow wings unfurled and were brought around in front of Fluttershy's face as she tried to bury her muzzle and hide herself in them. "I-It wasn't really that impressive."

"Darling! You sent that brute off with his tail tucked firmly between his legs! You were nothing short of spectacular!"

"Yepper-deppers, Fluttershy! You were all 'ROOOOAR! Don't be mean to my friends!' and the dragon was all 'EEP! Please don't hurt me!'"

"To be completely fair, Fluttershy, you're the only pony in recorded history other than the Princesses or Starswirl the Bearded to have subdued a dragon alone, so it truly was a historical feat."

"Not to mention that you did so with just a glare and a few words!"

With every bit of praise levied by the girls and Spike, Fluttershy's muzzle seemed to disappear deeper and deeper into her wings, her muzzle now a rather adorable shade of pink.

"Don't forget about the time she saved us from that cockatrice!" One of the fillies, the unicorn, called excitedly.

The orange-coated pegasus by her side nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! She totally out-stared that thing so bad it turned everything back to normal!"

"Ponyville's stare master!" The earth pony beamed with pride, speaking in an accent quite similar to Applejack's.

Fluttershy's wings were almost completely covering her head at this point. Harry fought down the urge to inquire further inquire, his curiosity demanding that he find out just how a pony managed to look into the eyes of a cockatrice and live to tell the tale!

Of course he knew bits of the story from Twilight, but he had the actual pony _right here in front of him_! Every bit of his studious nature screamed for him to prod her further…

But he refrained, seeing her still hiding behind her wings, while the girls tried to coax her out. Fluttershy was a suitable name for this mare, even expressed admiration made her flush and retreat into her natural comfort zone.

A feeling he could definitely relate to; too much attention being directed on her was making Fluttershy seek familiar comfort.

An idea occurred to him, something that Shining Armor and Steel Hoof used to do whenever some dignitaries' attention was drawn to him.

Shift the focus. "And, pray tell, just who might you three be?" He asked, making a show of redirecting his gaze to the fillies.

The trio of fillies exchanged eager grins and barely contained _squees_, before quickly falling into what seemed to be a practiced formation. Harry sucked in his lips to stop his lips from curving upward or prevent any subconscious release of embarrassing noises.

Really, this was just too adorable for words.

"Ah'm Apple Bloom!" The yellow-coated earth pony declared, raising a hoof proudly.

Her white-coated unicorn cohort mimicked her gesture. "Sweetie Belle!"

"Scootaloo!" The pegasus rounded out the roll call with a vigorous pump of her hoof and buzz of her tiny wings. But she wasn't quite done. "And together we are…"

In unison, they hopped up and each raised their right hoof. "_The Cutie Mark Crusaders!_"

_Aha, that was the name. Cute._ "That sounds very official and important," he noted, playing along with the fillies and pointedly ignoring how Twilight rolled her eyes and smirked at him.

So he could get along with foals better than adults, sue him.

Taking no notice of his brief shift in attention, Sweetie Belle continued what had become their traditional greeting, though with a slight amendment. "It really is! We go on adventures to find out special talents so we can get our Cutie Marks!"

"Yeah! We've tried everything from bungee jumping, to concerts, even beekeeping!" Scootaloo added. "Nothing's stuck yet, but we're still gonna go until we get our Marks!"

Ah, yes. The fillies who wanted their Cutie Marks so badly they went looking and hunting for them, causing a bit of trouble along the way. His mother had shared a few of Twilight's letters and giggles at the shenanigans they got up to.

Too cute, they were far too cute. Especially the way their eyes seemed to light up at the mention of finding their own Marks. Harry was quite certain his blood sugar levels had risen just looking at them.

"Well, then," he fought down a grin; this was almost reminiscent of a few late night study sessions with Twilight. Way too adorable. "Best of luck in your endeavors, girls."

The trifecta of million bit grins they sent his way forced Harry cover his mouth with a hoof. Maker forbid that these fillies ever figure out a way to use that as a weapon or his heart would give out.

Along with any other unfortunate ponies caught in the crossfire.

"Thanks, Mister Prince Harry!" They chirped in almost perfect unison.

His ears twitched. Didn't anypony listen when he spoke anymore? "Err, anytime, but really, just Harry."

Giggling and giving a quick apology, the fillies shared a look, turning to him with a gleam in their eyes. "Say, Mister Harry, y'know how we said we go lookin' fer our Cutie Marks?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Err, yes. Why?" There was something about the tone she was using that reminded him of something. It was similar to how Twilight and Cadence spoke sometimes…

"Well, we were just wondering –" Scootaloo began.

Sweetie Belle picked up immediately on cue. " – if you wouldn't mind helping us come up with ideas –"

" – by tellin' us how ya got yers!" Apple Bloom finished their request with a cheer.

Oh. Oh!

His Mark? The swirling vortex of the dimensional rift? They were interested in something like that? Well, that was certainly different! Usually, foals had no interest of any sort in the scientific and magical theory behind his –

Wait a minute, did they just say they wanted to use his story to come up with ideas?

His story, which involved a night of frustration with research that contradicted his firsthoof knowledge that rifts were possible and could be produced, as well as the works of Starswirl himself, which culminated with a magical outburst and unintentionally opening a small one in the middle of the Starswirl the Bearded section of the Royal Archives?

A quick glance slightly past the fillies revealed Twilight and Spike vigorously shaking their heads 'no' with wide, terrified eyes.

Full of bad ideas and moments of supreme stupidity as he seemed, Harry wasn't stupid. He had his less-than-stellar moments, but he didn't have to be a genius to put two and two together in order to get the visual of Ponyville's smoldering ruins should the fillies try recreating his story. But, they wanted to know and they did ask nicely…

So, they would get only _half_ of the story. "Research," he said, puffing out his chest for effect. "Lots of reading, studying, writing and discussing with my mother and other teachers."

Their reaction was just as he anticipated: looks of uncertainty, poorly hidden by big, fixed grins.

Mention intensive schoolwork and most foals ran in the opposite direction.

"Well," Apple Bloom said, drawing out the sound as she struggled to come up with a response that wouldn't offend him. "That sounds… interesting?"

Scootaloo, however, didn't have that filter. "Ugh! We gotta do more studying? I thought this was about Cutie Marks, not school!"

Harry saw an opportunity to impart just a bit of wisdom, even if they might ignore it for now. "Well, Cutie Marks _can_ come from just about any special talent, girls. It can be studying, magic, sports, just about anything that you're really good at."

They considered his words a moment, letting the idea that one could find their Cutie Mark in just about anything run through their heads. "So, what you're saying is that we should try a bunch of things?" Sweetie piped up.

"Try things that interest you, yes," he didn't want to limit them to just whatever it could be that they were good at _now_, lest he narrow their prospects or unintentionally lead them down the wrong path. Besides, a bit of self-discovery was what finding your special talent was all about.

"Stuff that we like, huh?" Sweetie Belle surmised. The girls looked down, bringing their hooves to their chins in thought.

Apple Bloom, too, seemed a bit unsure. "That's… A lot of stuff, though. We're gonna have to think 'bout what that could be."

"Well, you won't know until you try!"

Three sets of eyes went from pensive and overwhelmed to bright and cheerful. "Hey, that's right!" Scootaloo took up. "That's what being a Cutie Mark Crusader's all about!"

"YEAH!" Her two cohorts agreed, rather enthusiastically if Harry's ears had anything to say about it. And just like that, their attention was turned elsewhere. Namely, figuring out what it was that they liked.

Sweetie Belle was the first to notice something over by the snack table. "Hey! Derpy brought muffins!"

"Heh, everypony loves Derpy's muffins! Maybe we can get our Cutie Marks in muffin eating!"

"That'd be fun – an' delicious!"

Harry smiled wryly as the fillies scampered off to the snack table and began appealing to a wall-eyed pegasus mare, an earth pony stallion, and a tiny unicorn filly that they might be permitted to sample some of the baked goods. "Wow. Lost track of them quickly, didn't I?" He chuckled. "At least they won't try to reenact my story…"

"You've no idea the trouble you just saved us," Twilight noted, drawing his attention back to the group of mares. "That would have been a disaster!"

"Heh, nice! You just defused a fire and still managed to give them a hoof!" The stallion nearly jumped out of his fur when he realized that Rainbow had zipped over to his side, giving him a rather appreciative glance and a friendly nudge of her shoulder.

_Flinch. Wince._

Oh, confound it! If not for the scene it would've caused, Harry would've thrown his hooves into the air and started cursing his miserable hide. Maybe, if he was lucky, she missed it.

It wasn't anything more than a flinch, just a quick little movement. Harry quickly righted himself, returning her nudge with a smile of his own, but nearly lost it when he noticed that her expression had changed.

Those cerise eyes had narrowed; Rainbow, despite all of Twilight's stories, quietly surveyed him and fixing Harry in her gaze.

Turning his head and avoiding that stare was an option, but Harry found himself noting how truly unique that eye color was. Those twin crimson pools, narrowed in search of something in him; it almost made her seem predatory…

As quickly as it came, Rainbow's expression reverted back to its previous cocky smirk and quirked brow.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He was just seeing things; that had to be it. She couldn't have picked up on it that fast. How fortunate.

Spike hopped from Twilight's back to Harry's and gave a light tug on his mane to get his attention, shaking the stallion from his brief internal panic. "Hey! There's a few spots at the table! Head over and let's grab some stuff! It's been a while since we've actually just talked!"

On cue, Harry's stomach growled. "Well, it has been a long day and I haven't eaten since breakfast," he chuckled nervously, cheeks tinged a light pink. "So… what's there to eat?"

"Oh! Oh! I know, I know! Pick me!" Pinkie Pie bounced in place, waving her hoof in the air like an excited schoolfoal.

"Err, yes," _Where does she get this energy?_ "Miss Pie."

"Well, Derpy brought muffins of all kinds, the Apples baked pies and cobbler, the Cakes and I baked cupcakes and a really big red velvet cake with sweet icing, Bonbon brought bonbons and chocolates, Spike and Twilight brought nachos, and there's so much more I can't even remember!"

Harry fixed his long-time study buddy with a wry look, quirking an eyebrow as she grinned sheepishly. "What a wide selection," he noted. "It certainly sounds like everypony went to an awful lot of trouble for this party."

"We wanted to make it extra-super-special!" Pinkie agreed, completely missing his tone. "There's even a banner with your not-name on it!" She added, pointing just past his head.

"Err, I believe the word you're looking for is 'nickname', Pinkie – wait. A banner with my what?" Harry turned, following her hoof and finally catching sight of the large banner that bore his foalhood nickname. _'Welcome, Prince Morningstar'?_ "What the – But –" He stammered, feeling his cheeks heat up again. "_Twily!_ Why didn't you tell them that's not my –" He stopped, ears perking up at the sound of two rather distinct laughs, emerald eyes narrowed as it hit him. "_Twily!"_ He grumbled.

"Oh, hush, you!" Twilight chided, nudging a hoof into his barrel. "Everypony loves the name Morningstar! It's cute! Not to mention far more regal than 'Prince Harry'!"

Rubbing his side, Harry huffed. "Not my name!" He grumbled.

The girls' reactions to the fulfillment of Twilight's prediction varied: Fluttershy beamed, releasing a muted coo at just how cute it was that the pair of friends still played around in such a manner; Applejack and Rarity shared a knowing look, familiar with this sort of teasing that came with family or long-lasting friendship; Pinkie and Rainbow Dash weren't so restrained, snickering at the heated blush that dominated the young stallion's face.

Spike, of course, was rolling with laughter, tumbling right off of Harry's back and landing hard on the floor. But even the impact with hardwood did nothing to stop his amusement, thanks to the strength of the little dragon's scales.

"Comedians, the pair of you," Harry deadpanned as his green aura engulfed the drake and returned him to his perch. "You'll both get yours eventually."

"Looking forward to it, now come on," Twilight replied loftily, largely ignoring his promised retribution. With a glance to the giggling mares, she cleared her throat. "Pinkie, just go ahead and get a variety of snacks. And punch, too, while you're at it."

"Okie-dokie-lokie!" A pink blur cartwheeled by the pair, nearly catching Harry in the muzzle with a hindhoof.

Okay. That was way too much energy for an entire classroom of foals on a sugar rush, let alone a grown mare!

There was something fueling this unstoppable force known as Pinkie Pie, though Harry wasn't quite sure he wanted to put his sanity at risk as Twilight before him.

He'd already split two and a half years of his life either laid in a hospital bed or at the mercy of Tender Care's physical therapy, going back for a round of mental therapy was not in his plans anytime in the near future.

For now, Harry just raised an eyebrow at the remaining mares. "She's always like this?" He inquired, gesturing with a wave of his hoof in the direction of what appeared to be a small, pink dust devil snagging food left, right and center.

"Heh, this is Pinkie Light, sugarcube!" Applejack winked. "This ain't but a little taste of what that mare's like!"

Rarity nodded along with the apple farmer. "Yes, our Pinkie is quite energetic and a bit confusing at times, but she is a very dear friend to everypony she meets. Her eccentricities are but a small price for that companionship we all hold dear."

"In short, Pinkie's weird – but good weird!" Rainbow Dash summarized.

"I-I see," He didn't. Well, he could see the odd quirks, but that didn't explain very much. Some of Twilight's tales seemed a bit ridiculous, many of which surrounded the bouncy, bubbly mare known as Pinkie Pie.

Twilight pushed him lightly towards the table. "Oh, just take a seat you big numpty!"

Stumbling a step, Harry fixed Twilight with a half-lidded glare, but followed her command and took a seat at the table. Spike sat to his immediate right and Twilight to Spike's, so that the little drake was in between the Canterlot ponies; as had been their tradition ever since the trio had become friends.

From there, it was Applejack, then Rainbow Dash directly across from Harry, then Fluttershy, then Rarity and an empty seat for –

"I'm back!" Pinkie cried throwing her hooves into the air jubilantly, and already occupying the remaining spot.

"_Balefire and brimstone!_" Harry yelped. He placed a hoof on his chest to calm his racing heart. "How did you – What the – _How even?!_"

She just shrugged and happily bounced in her seat. "I'unno! But I brought snacks!"

Harry would swear that the table had been empty when Pinkie shouted in his ear, he would later go on to write his mother, promising on pains of having his license revoked that the table had _nothing at all_ on it when he'd first turned to face this bubbly pony.

When he turned back, Harry's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. _What. In. The. Wide… What?!_ "H-H-How?"

"Don't try understanding," Twilight advised solemnly. "I'd rather not have to mop up your brain after it leaks out of your ears."

"B-But –"

"I know."

"She just –"

"Yes."

"Without –"

"No magic whatsoever."

"Then how –"

"Just let it go, dude," Rainbow advised, snagging a green-frosted cupcake that happened to catch her eye and taking a bite. "Like we said, it happened because Pinkie Pie. That's all there is to say."

The very mare they were discussing giggled. "Silly Dashie! There are plenty of things to say! Or, more importantly, lots of stuff to ask Harry-berry!" She cheered with one hoof in the air, and the other snagging a cupcake for herself and tossing it into her mouth to be devoured in one gulp. "Sooooooo, when's your birthday? What's your favorite kind of cake? What color balloons do you like? Have you ever tried Sweet Apple Acres Cider? What sort of party music do you like? How did you meet Twilight and Spike?"

Harry blinked. Ignoring the fact that seeing a pony not named Celestia or Luna devour cake of any sort so quickly was a feat in and of itself, his brain went into overdrive trying to decipher the rapid fire babble that sprang forth from her muzzle. His answer came automatically, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "July 31st, any I can get my hooves on before mum or Aunt Luna, green, not that I recall, not sure, and we were students together, so, through mum."

Pinkie nodded, writing this information down on a small notebook she had pulled out of her mane. "Uh-huh, I see," She affirmed absentmindedly. "So, 'met through Princess' – Hey! That's right! You studied with Twilight! You were friends from school! What was that like?"

"Well, we started off a bit rough," he admitted, sharing an embarrassed grin with Twilight. "When I first met her I… well, I was quite nervous, so I sort of hid…"

A purple hoof grabbed his; Harry glanced up to find Twilight sporting a light blush on her cheeks. "To be fair, I was a bit blunt in how I voiced my opinion back then."

"Blunt how, darling?" Rarity pressed.

"I sort of… _kind of_… demanded to know what sort of magic he'd cast that impressed Princess Celestia enough to take _two_ students under her wing." The light pink hue deepened as her friends burst into giggles.

"Aw, don't keep us in suspense, Twi!" Applejack teased, raising an eyebrow and grinning at the blushing, fidgeting mare. "What did the Princess say 'bout that?"

"Mum lifted me up in her magic, placed me down in front of Twily and just told her that I was her son. Twily nearly had a heart attack!" Harry supplied, directing his eyes toward the food on the table, away from the amused expressions on the girls' faces.

As well as the fresh wave of giggles and coos of how utterly adorable it sounded, though the latter came mainly from Fluttershy.

Naturally, Spike felt the need to chip in his two bits to add to his friend and de facto sister's discomfort. "Pshaw! That's just the beginning! They still haven't told you about the time Harry had to spend a full month's stipend to replace a custom set of drapes because of a little mishap with one of their spell tests. The Princess wasn't happy with that at all!"

"If I recall," Harry interjected smoothly, before the mares could start their laughter and teasing again. "The drapes were burned because you were frightened by the noise. I was trying to keep you out of trouble, smarty scales."

Rather than bluster and grumble, Spike pasted an expression of foallike innocence on his face and spoke in similar tones. "I was just a poor, innocent little dragon trying to catch some sleep when you mean ol' unicorns started using your fancy magic!"

"Of course you were," Twilight drawled. "I must have mistaken you for somedragon else whenever we caught you chewing on our textbooks."

"I've no idea what you're talking about. My memory is a bit fuzzy…"

"Memory loss trick, sugarcube?" Applejack asked wryly. "Might wanna work on yer cover material."

"No point in that," he shrugged. "There were witnesses. I know when there's no plausible deniability."

Applejack nodded in concession. "Fair 'nuff, but as fun as this is, we ain't heard that much about ya aside from a few silly stories, Yer Hi – Harry. Mind tellin' us a bit 'bout yerself?"

"Oh, yes, darling!" Harry leaned back a bit as he noticed the subtle gleam in Rarity's eyes; she leaned forward, smirking and holding the cup just below her muzzle in her magic. "We've all been _dying_ to hear about the stallion who holds claim to the position as dear Twilight's oldest friend."

"It would be nice to learn a bit more… if you don't mind, that is!" Fluttershy chipped in, adding the last bit in a hurried whisper and ducking her head as if she were trying to hide behind the assembled sweets.

"Ah. Yes, well," Harry cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'm not sure what exactly it is you'd all like to know. There's my research, there's a couple stories about Twily, Spike and me, there is the story about meeting mum…"

"Just about everypony's heard that last story, dude," Rainbow said dismissively. "So, we've got that and how Twilight scared the fur off of you when you first met. We wanna hear some of the other stuff; like what's with your name, what exactly it is you _do_. You know, the stuff that makes you cool enough to hang out with."

Her response was met with a light chuckle. "Cool? Miss Dash, I think you'll find that I am anything but 'cool'."

"Twilight puts up with you, Spike thinks you're awesome, so why don't you leave the judging to the professional here: me!"

"Professional by whose definition?" Applejack stage whispered, much to Rainbow's chagrin. "Just funnin' ya, Dash! But yeah, let us decide, sugarcube. Hardly fair fer ya ta try 'n make our decision fer us!"

Harry ran a hoof through his mane nervously. "Er, right. Fair point, I suppose. Well, I guess I'll start with the name… I assume you mean my nickname, Miss Dash," he said, waving a hoof in the general direction of the banner.

"Less of the 'Miss', dude. You're in Ponyville, not a formal ball," she teased lightly. "And yeah, the nickname story sounds interesting, but I meant your actual name. No offense, but I've never heard of another pony named Harry."

"Ah, yes. That. Well, that makes sense," Tan ears pinned slightly as Harry's nervous grin seemed to grow a bit strained, looking a bit more like Applejack's poker face whenever the girls tried to play cards. "I'm from a rather… distant land, so my name comes from a different culture. I didn't really see the point in changing it because it's one of the few things I had left of my parents. I never really thought anything of it, really…"

"Whoa! Hold up, dude!" She interjected sharply. All teasing vanished and was replaced by a look of utmost seriousness. "I didn't mean anything bad by it, I was just curious. Actually, keeping a name for those reasons is pretty darn cool."

There was a certain fire in those eyes, a display of passion that gave Harry a bit of pause as he regarded Rainbow Dash. Brash, cocky, daring, these were the words that Twilight, Spike, even his own family used to describe the spectral maned Wonderbolts prospect seated across from him. All that, yes, but most prevalent about her was her unbreakable loyalty.

Her loyalty to her friends, her family, her town, her country, and, evidently, that was extended to her culture – both the overarching culture of Equestria and, Harry assumed, that of the pegasus race.

A quick look around the table showed a similar understanding in each of the mares, Applejack in particular gave a solemn nod, raised her punch glass and muttered 'Here, here' before downing the beverage in a gulp.

How nice it was to find such understanding ponies.

"I appreciate the support, girls. And you, Rainbow, for the points you made. It took me a bit to adjust to the culture here, but I've been able to adapt and adopt Equestria's as my own, barring the name thing," he admitted. "Twily and Spike have plenty of stories, I'm sure."

"A few," Twilight agreed happily. "Though most of them are centered around some of the words you used to say. You remember those, right? The ones that sounded Equish but weren't?"

Harry nodded, smiling fondly. "Yes, yes. 'Somebody', 'someone', 'anyone', 'everybody' and 'everyone'. There were a few more, but they'll come to me later."

"You forgot 'man' and 'woman'," Spike offered helpfully.

"Right, those as well."

"Wow! I thought I said silly things!" Pinkie giggled. "Ohmygosh! That means I get a new silly word buddy! Do you sing silly songs too? Oh, please say yes! Then I'd have a new friend, a new silly word buddy _and_ a new silly song buddy all rolled into one!"

"Only when he gets embarrassed," Twilight replied with a grin. "Or holds his favorite ball!"

"Yes, thank you, Twily," Harry ground out. "We'll pretend that you don't have any of those moments either. As for your question, Pinkie, I don't really sing silly songs, though I do remember a few from my home. Maybe those will be silly enough for you."

The '_squee_' and shift over to rub shoulders against his were indicative that Pinkie Pie definitely approved of that notion. But…

_Flinch. Wince._

He still had that little problem. _Come on, get over that!_ It was really becoming an issue, Pinkie definitely took notice again, a look of concern flashing across her muzzle before he turned and gave her an uneasy smile in return to reassure her.

"A foreign born prince!" Rarity practically purred, her eyes narrowing and flitting towards Twilight before refocusing on the stallion in question. "My, my, you certainly are intriguing, dear! Between your status and the work you do, you're quite the multifaceted stallion, aren't you?"

A nervous chuckle escaped his lips as Harry shifted uncomfortably, nudging Pinkie off his shoulder lightly to reclaim his space. "I-I don't quite know about that, Rarity, but I do like to think my work makes a difference."

"Ponyfeathers," Applejack said bluntly. "Twi goes on 'n on 'bout how ya do some big shot research in yer lab, but she ain't told us a lick o' what ya actually do 'cause she wants us ta hear it straight from yer mouth."

"I didn't want to steal your thunder," Twilight explained. "Besides, nopony sums it up with as much enthusiasm as you!"

"Oh. Well, thank you, Twily. So, what exactly is it that you girls do know about my research?" Might as well ask, that way he didn't go over anything they already knew and end up sounding so redundant that he lost their interest.

"O-Only a little," Fluttershy squeaked. "Just that a lot of your research involves physics and magical theory and application. And it's potentially very, um, dangerous." Her wings raised almost defensively, as if she desired to protect herself from the mere mention of injury.

He'd have to choose his words carefully on this one. "Yes, my research does have some danger to it, but that's part of what makes it so fascinating. Truth be told, I've been involved in several projects alongside my long-term research, those were mostly funded by the military."

"What kind o' stuff do they have ya work on?" Applejack leaned forward eager to hear whatever he had to say on the matter. Rather, whatever he _could_ say on the matter.

Their eyes were fixed on him, their interest captured. True, Equestria hadn't been in a formal war in many years, in large part thanks to the strength of their military and its reputation with other nations, only a small few black spots existed in the records of the armed forces.

Harry should himself out of his ruminations; this was a discussion on his work, not a history lesson.

"A couple areas," he replied casually. "Twily and I did joint projects on teleportation range and casting speed, though she worked more on the theory with me than on the application."

"Interesting," Rarity noted. "I've seen Twilight use teleportation several times, is there an entire field for it?

"Oh, yes! We focused on increasing range and capacity for ponies to take alongside, while trying to reduce the disorientation that partners feel. There's still a bit of vertigo if one isn't entirely prepared for the trip, but we're hoping that it leads to further development in the area," Twilight blurted excitedly, before catching herself and quickly covering her mouth with her hooves. "Sorry!"

"You helped, Twily, I hardly see why you shouldn't speak up about it," Harry chided.

"That I don't mind, but they want to know about your big project! You know, the one you've obsessed over your entire life? The same one that landed you in the hospital?"

Harry winced at the slight edge her voice took during that last bit. That would be something they'd have to work through, especially if he ever wanted to prove that he had no intention of once again putting himself at risk so carelessly. "Yes, the, ah, dimensional rift project," he supplied hesitantly. "Interesting subject, obviously quite dangerous given the, ah, incident Twily referenced."

"The dimen-whatsit-now project?" Applejack parroted.

"Dimensional rift," the stallion repeated patiently. Years of similar reactions or skepticism about his research had given him thick skin when it came to defending his claims and educating any inquiring minds about the material.

At this stage, it was hardly an effort to water it down a bit for others to understand. It was just a matter of some careful word choice and description.

"For the sake of argument, let's say that you and I are on opposite sides of a wall," Harry began. "I am stuck inside of a room and you are tasked with getting me out, but first you have to get through the wall. It's strong, far to strong to simply buck until it cracks, but can still collapse under its own weight if the foundations are disturbed. How would you get through so you can help me escape?"

"Can't Ah just walk around it? Or look for a door or a window?"

He shook his head. "Nope. No doors, no windows. I'm boxed in by solid stone on all sides. That being said, time is a factor – no openings means that I have a limited supply of oxygen." A squeak of worry from Fluttershy made Harry reconsider the last bit of his little exercise. "Or not. Let's just say that I have an infinite supply and am in no danger of suffocating. The point is just getting me out of the room."

"So..." Rainbow jumped in, humming as she weighed her options. "Dig a hole?"

"Stone floor, too."

"Who the hay has a stone floor?"

"That's not the point."

"Ah'm goin' with Rainbow on this, Sugarcube. Seems like an awful lot o' trouble ta trap ya in a room!"

"Fine! It was somepony who wanted to use me as leverage to collect ransom from the government! Does that help?"

Fluttershy gasped at the implications, once again frightened that the stallion seated at the table could face some hypothetical danger. "Goodness! Who would do that?"

"A very bad pony, which is why it's rather important that you girls get me out of that room," Harry replied. "The actual _how_ is the important part, not the _why_. Just humor me."

"Quite the conundrum," Pinkie hummed thoughtfully as she balanced a tray of cupcakes on her head for purposes Harry didn't even want to try to understand. Maybe her version of the thinking cap for all he knew. "I know! Drill through! Like on my family rock farm!"

Rarity shook her head. "Pinkie, he said the wall could collapse under its own weight, if you drilled –"

"Pardon the interruption, but she's right," Harry cut in swiftly. "But only if she elaborates a bit more, otherwise, you are correct: the wall will collapse and I'll be buried – hypothetically!" He hastily added in hopes of appeasing Fluttershy.

Seeing seven sets of eyes directed on her, Pinkie beamed at the attention. "Well, back on the rock farm, Daddy always told us to look for the strongest and weakest points of the stone we were digging into; if we tried digging through a strong point, the tools would break, but if we dug through a weak point, we could get through easier but risk a collapse under the weight. So we had to find a balance! A weak spot that had foundations strong enough to compensate! Otherwise, everything would go KABOOM!"

A momentary pause fell over the group as they tried to grasp the fact that Pinkie Pie had said something _without being silly_.

"Yes, quite right," Harry said abruptly to dispel the sudden tension. "That's a very good summary of the dangers of my research, albeit a very basic one."

Rainbow leaned forward, her typical cocky smirk gone from her face as she regarded the stallion across from her with utmost seriousness and a hint of respect. Clearly, she needed to reevaluate who she called 'egghead'; the joint project with Twilight seemed impressive in and of itself, but this…

This was like extreme meets science. "So, a wall," she said. "You drill through some kind of wall and make a rift?"

"Yes and no, see, here's where I lose a lot of ponies," Harry tried his best to fight down his grin; he loved this part. "There's no physical wall to break through, the wall is just a metaphor; I don't drill through any solid object or deconstruct a magical barrier between dimensions, what I'm doing is ripping open a tear in time and space, the fabric of reality, in order to see what's inside and, someday, go to another dimension."

He let his words hang in the air, looking around the table and savoring his second favorite part of the explanation: five mares sitting with eyes wide and mouths agape as their brains went into overdrive, trying to wrap their heads around the concept, the seemingly absurd notion that one could simply rip open a tear in reality.

"That… That's not possible," Rarity said nearly in a whisper. "Surely you just mean that your work is theoretical?"

The fight against his grin was slowly becoming a losing battle. "Initially, yes, but I've also gone through with the practical application."

"Yer pullin' our legs," Applejack accused, though even Harry could tell that her heart wasn't in it, she was more in stunned disbelief than angry. This was familiar.

All too familiar. So, his response was already prepared.

"Not at all," he replied easily. "If it would help, I could even describe the process. Or, better yet, I can tell you what the interior of the rift looks like."

"Now. _Yes_." Rainbow leaned forward, eyes boring into his. There was something else to her gaze this time, a spark of interest and excitement that didn't quite match with the description Twilight had given him. How did that go again?

'_Completely uninterested in scientific study'_. That was it. Rainbow Dash didn't find much interest in the science community; she was interested in visible, firsthoof results – _aha_!

He had the results; therefore, he had her attention.

A glance to his left made Harry nearly leap out of his seat as he found that Pinkie had leaned close enough to boop muzzles, her bright blue eyes wide with excitement and foallike glee. She wasn't alone.

Skeptical though they were, Applejack and Rarity seemed just as eager. Even Fluttershy had forgone her nerves and pricked her ears forward to take in his every word.

Spike and Twilight, on the other hoof, sat with calm, content smiles; they'd already heard this long ago. This was no news to them, but it was exactly what they'd hoped and planned on.

This was Harry's time to shine, his time to prove to their friends that every claim they'd made about him was right on the money.

Harry wasn't about to disappoint. "If I do say so myself, it's one of the most awe-inspiring things you'll ever see," he closed his eyes, willing the image forward in his mind. The swirling colors, the roar of the vortex, he was there again; he was back in his happy place. Well, one of them, anyway. "I wish I could show you a picture, because it's not something you can easily describe, but I'll try. Reality splits open, a visible tear that seemingly starts nowhere and rips through everything. It opens up and inside, oh," he stopped, grinning wistfully. "Inside it's absolutely stunning. It's like looking at an overhead view of a multicolored tornado, but with so much more raw power and wonder behind it. It's… it's natural and yet unnatural, something that doesn't exist in reality, but between ours and somepony else's. It's so incredibly terrifying, the mere sight of it raises the fur on the back of my neck and makes every fiber of my being scream at me to run for my life. But… it's wonderful."

Predictably, there was silence. A hush that allowed Harry a few more precious seconds with his memory, the work he'd be separated from until he could prove that he wasn't a danger to himself.

It was, perhaps, the least likely pony to show interest in any of this, who broke that silence and dispelled Harry's vision. "That sounds awesome," Rainbow breathed, wings twitching excitedly. "That's like… That's your thing… That's your Sonic Rainboom!"

"The Sonic Rainboom?" He parroted amusedly. "Perhaps, though I can't really agree with any certainty."

"Why not?" She cocked her head to the side, raising a brow at him.

"Simple: I haven't seen one firsthoof," Harry shrugged and took a sip of punch, pausing briefly to savor the taste. Not too sweet for once. He'd have to ask Pinkie about that. "Twily, Spike and mum have told me about it, but their stories always ended with 'you have to see it firsthoof to appreciate it'. I haven't, so I can't."

"Actually, that's not true," Twilight interjected. "Remember when you were in Cloudsdale? That time when you slipped away and saw that rainbow burst over the city?"

"Yes, just before I met you, actually. Mum introduced us when I came back. What's that –" She gave him a meaningful look, nodding her head towards Rainbow. "You don't mean –"

Rainbow Dash leaned back and placed her hooves behind her head. "That's right! You saw my first ever Sonic Rainboom, just like the girls!"

Harry propped himself up on an elbow, aiming a hoof at her as he prepared to cast doubt, but stopped short seeing five mares smiling and nodding in affirmation, eyes closed as they let themselves slip into their own memories of yesteryear.

_But that…_ "But I saw –"

"A cascading rainbow?" Rarity supplied helpfully. "A spectral display the likes of which had never before graced Equestria?"

"Or like a million-billion-trillion-_kajillion_ ballons!" Pinkie Pie cheered, throwing her hooves into the air enthusiastically.

Rarity took her friend's exuberance in stride, nodding politely and giggling lightly at her antics. "Or that, yes."

He blinked, wordlessly working his mouth, trying to verbalize an adequate reply. But nothing came to mind. Their descriptions, while apt, still didn't do justice to the feat he'd witnessed so long ago.

A magnificent rainbow, glowing as vibrant and powerful as his mother's sun, seemingly painted across the sky with an unseen brush, colors bursting forth to dominate all aspects of his vision, leaving him swimming in a world of beautiful hues and bringing his usual panicked thoughts to a screeching halt while his brain basked in awe…

That was the closest he could come to describing it and the words _still_ fell woefully short. It was a sight Harry treasured to this day, one matched only by that of the rift, times spent with his mother, his friendship with Twilight and Spike and…

Wait. There had been something similar. He had seen it while looking out the hospital window on his cousin's wedding day, after Dr. Tender Care had subjected him to dozens of spells, crosschecking for signs of being replaced or brainwashed by the Changeling invaders.

"Mum said there were three," he muttered to himself, though just loud enough for the mares to hear. "I saw the first, but there were two others: one at the Best Young Fliers Competition, which she presided over, and one at Cadence and Shining Armor's wedding… I saw a rainbow out my window that day…"

"Eeyup! Princess Celestia had Dash do a Rainboom after Princess Cadence and Shinin' Armor kissed!" Applejack confirmed.

"Didn't even get a warm up!" Rainbow crowed in memory of her accomplishment, basking in the attention levied upon her. "Well, not unless you count beating the utter snot out of some Changelings a warm up!"

Emerald eyes bulged, Harry's jaw dropped. Dignity had just taken a nice, solid, double-hoof buck to the face and wouldn't be getting up anytime in the near future, surprise had won the bout via knockout.

When he finally managed to rediscover the ability to speak, his voice was noticeably tinged with disbelief, almost higher pitched. "But the Sonic Rainboom is supposed to be the pinnacle of a pegasus' physical prowess!" Harry babbled, waving his hooves for emphasis. "For you to do one just – just out of the blue is highly improbable! It should be nearly impossible!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed Twilight bringing a hoof to her forehead. "Now you've done it!" She mock groaned.

"Well, well, it's not even sunset and you're already holding your Idiot Ball," Spike noted smugly. "Very nice!"

Whatever they were implying, it went soaring over Harry's head faster than the Wonderbolts' top squad. Baffled by their amusement, he turned away from Rainbow, focusing his confused gaze on his foalhood friends. "What? It's just an observation!" The pair devolved into laughter, their amusement at some unspoken inside joke rendering them unable to give any sensible reply. Rolling his eyes at their spontaneous giggle fit, Harry faced Rainbow again. "I'm missing something, what's so –"

Rainbow wasn't sitting down; standing with both forehooves on the table, she leered at him, a competitive fire in her eyes and a confident smirk playing across her lips.

"Impossible, huh?" Harry couldn't help but notice that it sounded more like a purr, like a cat happily playing with a ball of yarn. "Well, then, care to put your bits where your mouth is?"

"Excuse me? What exactly do you –"

She leapt onto the table; landing just a short distance away to stand muzzle to muzzle with him, close enough so that the edge of her prismatic mane tickled at his snout.

_Flinch. Wince._

Harry didn't bother with the mental self-depreciation this time, his internal monologue had been bound, gagged and thrown in a closet, stuck dumb as he was forced to lock eyes with Rainbow Dash.

"I mean right here, right now. I'm gonna do a Sonic Rainboom and you're gonna stand front row to witness it!"

She was mad. This was utterly absurd! "You can't be serious!"

"Like a hurricane!" Rainbow crowed. "You're gonna see it, you're gonna see how awesome it is! And once you do," she raised her hoof, holding it out just under his snout. Harry didn't even flinch this time, his eyes stayed locked with hers. "You're gonna hoof bump me and admit that my Sonic Rainboom is as amazing as your rift!"

* * *

It didn't take long for everypony to vacate Town Hall and make their way to the grassy knoll just a short trot from Ponyville.

Ponies, both adult and foal alike, whooped and chattered excitedly, eager to see Rainbow Dash reproduce her near legendary feat – the very one that the Element Bearers claimed united them by helping them find their Cutie Marks.

To them, it was a spectacle, another typical day watching Rainbow Dash amaze them with her aerial prowess; the very same natural talent and passion that even some pegasi gaped in awe and slight envy.

Harry, on the other hoof, was quite worried. Fidgeting and groaning, he berated himself for opening his mouth without thinking, _yet again_.

Oh, yes, there was definitely a part of him that was humming with excitement! He was going to see a Sonic Rainboom live, up close and personal! A feat accomplished by only one pony, the very same Rainbow Dash who was bouncing lightly on her hooves, stretching her neck and wings for quick preparation.

But the more logical side of his brain started screaming in protest, citing some rather important details on what little he'd seen of professional stunt flying while watching the Wonderbolts perform or, in a couple of cases, being forced to sit in on practice by Spitfire to ensure that he didn't wander off again while he was under their watch.

Little details like warm up runs, proper routine preparation and slow, controlled stretching before they got down to business and started showing just why they were the premier fliers of the nation.

Rainbow was treating this with considerably less seriousness; she hadn't bothered to heed his advice or warnings, laughing and waving him off as he sputtered and protested.

She was going to get hurt trying to show off to prove her accomplishments for the sole reason that he doubted her. He should've known better.

How many times had Twilight made mention of Rainbow Dash's competitive nature in those letters? A hundred? Two hundred? The number was certainly up there, make no mistake!

But he couldn't just shut the hay up and accept her accomplishment, just as she had his.

_I am such a bucking moron!_ "You really don't have to do this!" He pleaded, for what seemed like the thousandth time since her declaration. "I'll take your word for it, I've already seen two from a distance! There's no need to risk injury by trying to perform spur of the moment!"

Rainbow scoffed, tossing her mane and waving off his concerned babbling. "Relax, dude! Take a chill pill or three, kick back and get ready to have your mind blown!"

"Miss Dash, please, this is no time for –" A cyan hoof was pressed against his lips, muzzling him quite effectively.

_Flinch. Wince._

His eyes crossed as he looked at Rainbow's hoof. This was rather… blunt of her. She didn't know him, not that well. Their entire relationship had been over the course of an hour and change.

"Hold that thought, I'll be back to pick up the hoof bump you'll owe me!" She said cheerfully, as if she hadn't just invaded his space _twice_ and shoved a hoof in his mouth. Flaring her wings, Rainbow Dash took to the air without so much as a look back, eager to show off.

Harry spat, hoping to rid himself of the taste of Rainbow's hoof. "That – _That mare!_ Does she even _think_ of the risks she's taking? Of all the stubborn, foalhardy –"

"Gee, that doesn't sound like _anypony_ I know," Twilight deadpanned. "Certainly nopony with degrees in magic and science, with full knowledge of the safety procedures, but still insists on bucking common sense in the face for his research."

His mouth closed with an audible click. "Fair point," he noted grudgingly. "I'm sorry, really. I'll make sure not to take risks like that again, but can we please get her down before she gets hurt?"

"She'll be fine," Fluttershy assured him with utmost certainty and a touch of… was that excitement?

Eyes wide, broad grin, wings twitching, this mare was ready to take flight. Excited wasn't the word, Fluttershy was utterly thrilled!

An attitude mirrored by each of her friends.

"Don't ask us ta explain," Applejack said, keeping her eyes locked on her friend as she ascended, rapidly climbing higher and higher until she was nothing but a colorful dot in the sky, hovering above the clouds. "Like ya said, it ain't somethin' words can describe. Kinda like homemade apple pie or Granny's Zap Apple Jam. Jus' watch an' let it sink in!"

"But –"

"Harry, please! You're stressing over nothing! All that frowning and worrying will ruin your complexion!" Rarity interrupted, sparing him a short glance, before turning her own eyes skyward. "Pinkie, dear, why don't you help Harry loosen up a bit?"

"Sure thing, Rarity! C'mon, Harry-berry! Dashie needs a good cheering section! Crusaders! Fluttershy! You too!"

"Right!" The four ponies chirped, falling in line with Pinkie.

"Okay, ready?" She asked excitedly, readying herself to jump. "Harry-berry! Get in line and follow along! GIMME A 'D!"

"Pinkie, I don't –"

"D!" Harry winced as the crowd joined in with Pinkie's cheering squad, his concerns drowned out by their shouts.

He looked up at Rainbow's form, barely visible at such a height, turning back to Twilight and Spike. They were beaming, looking up and cheering along with the rest of the ponies, egging that blasted pegasus on!

_Oh, ponyfeathers!_

Harry shifted his gaze up again; she was moving, flying horizontally, further away from town. She was trying to increase distance, a stunt flyer's strategy to account for the possibility of a crash. Lifting a shaking hoof, he began to rub his fetlock against his foreleg, his fragile control over his nerves giving out.

"GIMME AN 'A!"

"A!"

_I'm an idiot._

"GIMME AN 'S!"

"S!"

_She's going to injure herself. She's not prepared to perform the trick - _

"GIMME AN 'H!"

"H!"

_One of two things will happen – _

"GIMME AN 'I!"

"I!"

_Either she'll hit the sound barrier and bounce off, spiraling out of control until she hits the ground –_

"GIMME AN E!"

"E!"

_Or she'll break the barrier for a moment and lose control when her vision blurs; she'll either lose control and crash, or take a head on collision with something._

"WHAT'S THAT SPELL?" Pinkie led them on.

"She's going to bucking kill herself," Harry whimpered. His ears lay flat against his skull, his shoulders slumped.

If anypony heard him, they ignored his concerns. "DASHIE!" They cheered in unison.

"WHAT WAS THAT?"

He ducked his head, trying to make himself as small as he felt. As small as the pegasus dancing through the clouds, high overhead appeared. "She's going to bucking kill herself because of me."

"DASHIE!" The ponies cheered louder.

Rainbow leaned back, hanging at the peak of her climb, waiting for gravity to bring her back to ground level.

Pinkie cocked her head, bringing a hoof to her ear. "I CAN'T HEAR YOOOOOU!~"

"Oh, dear Maker, I just turned my own welcoming party into a funeral!" Harry choked out, tearing his eyes away and closing them tight.

A nudge to his barrel, forced him to crack open an eyelid. "Harry, you're gonna miss it!" Spike cried, leaping onto his back and turning his head up. "You've gotta see it! Rainbow's got this in the bag!"

"DASHIE!" The crowd roared, stomping their hooves and whistling as Rainbow began to fall.

Harry whimpered, eyes locked on the rapidly descending pegasus as she folded her wings in for less resistance, making herself more aerodynamic. A picture perfect diving maneuver, designed to increase speed; typically used by large birds as they hunted for prey. Or, more on the subject: the Wonderbolts during performances.

When done correctly, the pegasus in question would pull up just before hitting the ground. But Rainbow had gone higher and was picking up much more speed in her dive.

He could see the conical shape clearly now, the sound barrier trying to fight against her as she pushed herself to her top speed. Rainbow's velocity increased, digging deeper and straining against the barrier until it began to flow off her body.

_That crazy mare is trying to dig her own grave with her face!_

It wouldn't be long now, just a few seconds before the look of confidence and that fire in Rainbow's eyes changed to an expression of utmost horror, just before her impact with the ground. Too fast, she was coming in way too fast!

_Pull up, pull up, pull up, pull up!_

By his mother's wings, this mare had to be crazy! No warm up, no practice run, she was going full out after she'd just been sitting back and relaxing with the crowd just a short while ago. The only thing she'd done was stretch a bit.

Harry wanted to stop this, he wished so badly that he could just cast a spell to fix all of this, teleportation or some cushioning spell, anything! But the rational portion of his brain picked that moment to remind him the latter would do absolutely nothing to adequately protect Rainbow at her current velocity. As for teleportation…

Teleporting a pegasus in mid flight might was a terrible idea; the disorienting effects of teleportation on an unaware pony were bad enough, but couple that with the fact that such a spell only moved the pony in question to a new location.

In short, he would just be moving her closer to something to hit. He'd just be killing her faster.

_For the love of mother, pull –_

Cyan wings flared and with one mighty flap, Rainbow Dash pushed herself over the threshold and past the sound barrier.

The sky above Ponyville was alight with colors! Harry's mane was blown back by the sonic boom that followed the mare streaking through the sky, he was forced to quickly grab his glasses in his telekinesis, lest the fly off his head and leave him unable to behold the majesty of the Sonic Rainboom.

Spectral light exploded outward, a shockwave of the multicolored aura only matched by pure, liquid rainbow.

Rainbow Dash leaned back, pulling out of her dive and hurling through the sky over the crowd, the vibrant colors trailing after her. His mother was right; there were no words. No words whatsoever to adequately summarize this feat, this wonder of physical prowess!

It was like somepony took a paintbrush dipped in liquid rainbow and traced it across the sky, starting from Rainbow's prismatic mane and tail and trailing off of her, billowing out to set the sky alight like a multicolored fire!

"Beautiful," he whispered in awe, forcing himself not to blink. Scratchy eyes would not prevent him from taking in every nanosecond of this… this…

Just _this_.

Harry followed along the spectral trail, his eyes locking on Rainbow Dash's form as she began to slow down, banking around and doing a couple of loops, pumping a hoof in celebration of her success.

Amazing. This was… It was… She was…

Rainbow Dash was absolutely right: the Sonic Rainboom was to her as the rift was to he.

His wide-eyed, awestruck expression stuck, even as Rainbow touched down in front of him, trotting a bit to ease her momentum to rest just out of hoof's reach from Harry.

That confident smirk was still in place, she waggled her eyebrows leaning forward and cocking her head to cast an ear towards him. "Wellllllll?" She drawled teasingly.

His mouth opened, several declarations of incredulity and sheer awe on his lips, each vying to get out first. None of which made it out coherently. "I – I – I ju – You – Wha – _Huh?!_"

"Awww, I think I broke him!" Rainbow cackled to her friends. "Hey, Twilight! What was that you were saying about mopping up his brains earlier? 'Cause, uh – Cleanup on aisle three!"

Her snark was enough to shake Harry out of his stupor, just enough so that he could actually regain control over his treacherous mouth, if only so he could babble slightly more sensibly. "That was incredible!" He blurted.

"Oh, hayseed, here we go!" Applejack rolled her eyes, fully aware of what would come next.

Rainbow reared back, brushing a hoof against her chest and chuckling. "Uh-huh! Aaaaaaand?"

"You just broke the sound barrier and maintained control throughout the entirety of your flight! No turbulence, no hasty adjustments, nothing!" He was still lost, completely missing that she was giving him rather blatant cues for one specific response.

Being the kind, generous pegasus that she was, Rainbow would just have to help this poor, stunned scientist along. "That's right! Now, what was that you were supposed to say?" She hinted. "Something about the Sonic Rainboom being just as amazing as a certain somepony's experiment? Ringing any bells?"

"Wha – My experi – are you joking right now?" Harry babbled excitedly. "My experiment requires the use of high level magic and runic arrays to even jump start the process! What you just did was break the sound barrier with nothing but your ability and flight instincts!"

"And it was…?" She held out her hoof, waving it in a circling motion to prompt him.

This time he didn't flinch, he wasn't even paying attention to the appendage. Harry was completely out of it; too busy trying to wrap his head around Rainbow Dash's raw ability and the splendor of the Sonic Rainboom itself.

His reply was almost automatic. "It… It's amazing!" He breathed, his eyes finally focusing on hers. "You just… It… _You_ are amazing!"

Rainbow blinked in surprise. That had certainly been more than she was expecting! Her eyes lit up, her confident smirk widened into a full grin as she savored her victory.

Without further ado, she nodded in acceptance. "And don't you forget it!" She crowed. "Now, I believe you owe me something else," Rainbow waved her hoof in his face to remind him.

_Flinch. Wince._

This, of course, disrupted Harry's stare and took him off guard, his eyes locked on the cyan hoof, his stance suddenly tense and alert as it registered that she was within easy distance to reach out and touch him…

_Blast it, stop!_

He quickly readjusted his gaze and forced his shoulders to relax, returning the gesture by bringing up his own hoof and bumping it against hers. Harry met her eyes, giving what he hoped was a casual, friendly smile.

A smile that became rather strained when he noticed the shift in Rainbow's posture; tilting her head and raising a brow at him, dispelling any of his earlier doubts.

She had caught on.


End file.
